


The Bachelor

by Sparkles436



Category: The Bachelor, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec doesn’t want to be here but kinda does, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Clueless Magnus, Confident Alec, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Group Dates, Idiots in Love, It will be fairly clear of smut - heavy kissing at most, Jealous Alec Lightwood, Jealous Magnus Bane, Jealousy, M/M, Magnus is the Bachelor, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Night Club owner Magnus, Taunting, The Bachelor - TV show, Vulnerable Alec, Writer Alec, clueless alec, more tags to be added later, possible strong language, some homophobia, vulnerable magnus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 95,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27061510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparkles436/pseuds/Sparkles436
Summary: Magnus gets talked into being the first ever Bi-sexual Bachelor, and Alec gets dragged into being one of the dates last minute, against his will. What could possibly go wrong?A sweet, light and happy story with (hopefully) lots of smiles, laughs, misunderstandings, and sweet moments along the way. Malec is always my end game, I promise.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Andrew Underhill (in past only), Clary Fray/Jace Herondale (Background only - never appear together but are talked about), Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Dot Rollins (in past only), Magnus Bane/Imasu Morales (in past only), Magnus Bane/Various dates of various importance
Comments: 301
Kudos: 283





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I am writing this story as it goes, and possibly as time goes on, I might turn the job of sending dates/contestants home over to the readers. This story is one that has been playing around in my head for weeks, despite the fact that I have never actually watched The Bachelor, or any of the spin-offs it has created. I have done a little research on it and will try to keep it as accurate as possible to how the show works, but there may be some errors. Please feel free to point these out to me, but please be nice about it.  
> My other note is that I am an Aussie, and therefore, if you are reading this outside of Australia, you might find some spelling or sayings that are a little odd to you, though I will try to avoid truly Australian sayings as much as possible. If there’s anything you don’t get though, please let me know.

“Mr Bane! It’s wonderful to meet you, my name is Margaret, and I am the head of wardrobe here on The Bachelor.”

Magnus turned to the voice appearing behind him, as a plump woman in her mid-sixties with a wild mop of red hair tied in a scarf arrived in the room. She gave him a bright smile as she approached, continuing her rapid speech, all the while circling him like a vulture, her eyes roving up and down his body.

“It’s my job to help you pick out your wardrobe for the show, starting with a show-stopping outfit for tonight for when you meet all your wonderful dates. I can already tell you have exquisite taste, so I think this is more going to be a case of us having a good time together while doing a little window shopping! Sound good?” She asked him with a wink.

Immediately loving the flirty and brazen attitude of the wardrobe mistress, Magnus chuckled and gave a bow, throwing a flirty wink of his own as he took hold of her hand and bestowed a kiss on her knuckles. 

“Margaret, my dear. The pleasure is entirely mine. I look forward to working with you.”

Magnus watched, bemused, as a faint flush rose over the woman, a flustered hand, held to her chest, as she finally stopped moving and favoured him with an appreciative smile.

“Well, aren’t you just adorable!” she exclaimed.

“What do you say, we blow all these dates off and you and I run away together?” She flirted with him.

“While I can’t deny I’m tempted, I have, unfortunately, signed a contract that requires me to turn up,” Magnus says, giving her a playful smile.

“But perhaps when this is all over, the two of us can scandalously run away together and engage in a torrid affair,” he finishes.

“Darling, I’m not sure there is a man alive who can keep up with me, but if anyone could, I have a feeling it would be you,” she drawled, mischief and delight, shining in her eyes.

“I’d certainly give it my best effort,” he replied, laughing in response.

Placing a hand on his arm, she leaned in close.

“Tell you what, you don’t find your true love here, we’ll give it a shot. In the meantime, why don’t we find an outfit that flaunts your gorgeousness, so you knock these people right off their feet tonight?”

“Sounds like a plan Margaret, point me to the clothes.”

A little over an hour later, and Magnus and Margaret were firm friends, having a delightful time going over outfits and arguing over just how far they could push his look for a first-time introduction on tv when Lily burst into the room.

Magnus watched as Lily visibly checked herself, seeing the two fashionistas turn towards her, growing suspicious when she forced a fake smile over her face before approaching.

“Hi Magnus, hi Margaret, how are things going in here? Have we found a nice outfit for the meet and greet tonight? I have no doubt you’ll look fabulous Magnus, especially with Margaret here to help you.”

Magnus and Margaret exchange sceptical glances, before turning back to Lily.

“Margaret, can I have a moment alone with Magnus?” Lily asks the older lady.

“Of course, sweetheart!” She replies, before turning to Magnus.

“I am going to go find some gel colour for tonight. I’m thinking . . . brilliant blue!” She exclaims excitedly.

“Sounds wonderful, Margaret!” He smiles at her warmly.

He and Lily both watch as Margaret leaves and closes the door behind her. 

“What’s going on, Lily?” Magnus queried, turning back to Lily with a dubious look on his face.

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Just a small hick-up with one of the contestants, but absolutely nothing to worry about. We already have a solution. So there is not a problem, none at all,” Lily expels, waving her hands in a very nonchalant manner.

**Three months earlier**

“You want me to do what?” Magnus asks in disbelief.

“We are interested in you being the new bachelor,” Lily states again.

Magnus stared at the woman sitting in front of him in disbelief, sure that he had misheard her previous two statements.

He had first met Lily Chen a week earlier at a benefit he had held at his nightclub Pandemonium. The benefit had been held to raise funds for a local community member’s final transition operation. It was one of many he had hosted over the years for the LGBTQ+ community, a group he was proud to be a part of, and support.

At this particular benefit, he had been relaxing slightly after the main of his hosting duties had been completed, enjoying his conversation with the delightful young woman with streaks of purple in her dark hair. She had been charming during their discussion, the two of them happily exchanging wild stories of their past relationships, when she had suddenly asked to arrange a meeting with him in the coming days. 

He had been intrigued enough to agree, but never in a million years would he have guessed that this was why she had requested the meeting.

“The Bachelor?” He repeated in disbelief. 

“That ridiculous show where everyone competes for a date with some superficially good looking moron and gets into catfights over who he likes more? That show?” 

“That’s the one,” Lily replied confidently.

“What in the world makes you think that that is something I would ever consider?”

“Look, I get that it might not have been your thing, I do. But this year, I am trying to make it something a little bit different. More and more countries around the world are legalising gay marriage. More and more people are seeing it for what it is, love, no different than any heterosexual relationship out there. So lets put one of NY’s most out and proud bi-sexual men out there as the new Bachelor and see the struggle is the same, no matter who it’s for.”

Magnus continues to watch the woman in disbelief, even as his mind begins to whirl with the possibilities her suggestion offers.

“Who would my dates be?” Magnus asked, curious despite his reluctance to even entertain the thought.

Lily was quick to jump on this small chink in Magnus’s armour.

“We would give you an even selection of male and female dates for you to choose from, fitting to your sexual preference and from a variety of backgrounds and personalities that we feel could be a match for you.”

“And how in the world would you know what personalities would suit me? I don’t even know that half the time!” Magnus exclaimed.

“Well, to be honest, it’s more a case of you telling us what you don’t like and us being sure not to have those as possible options.”

“Hmmm,” Magnus replied, though not as positively as Lily would have hoped.

Unsure if she was convincing him or not, Lily decided just to plow ahead. For the next fifteen minutes, she proceeded to lay out how the show worked, and what his role and responsibilities as the Bachelor would be.

Watching the doubt start to crawl back over Magnus’s face, Lily played her final card.

“Look, Magnus, I gotta be honest. This is a big deal for me. I have been chasing the head producer spot for years now and the only reason they’ve given it to me this year is cause word came down from up high that they wanted the show to be more open to the LGBTQ+ community with the turning of public opinion. The homophobic arseholes who normally run it all refused to take on the head producer role, convinced it would fail. I asked them to give it to me, rather than pull the idea and they actually agreed.”

As Lily paused for a brief moment, Magnus took a moment for himself, having been pulled into her story despite himself. He knew all too well the casual discrimination the LGBTQ+ community faced on a regular basis. Things that were taken as the norm in the hetero community were seen as abnormalities in their community, even something as ridiculous as sensationalised reality dating tv shows.

He could see why this was so important to Lily, but he failed to see precisely why that meant he should be a part of it, and so that’s what he told her.

“Because I need this to be legitimate. I can’t just pull anyone into this Magnus. It needs to be someone who is an out and proud, active member of our community, who can gain the respect of everyone out there. You are well known for your charitable works, both in and out of the community. You’re a respected businessman, you’re smart, there is not a hint of scandal about you —“

“— That you know of!” Magnus interrupted dryly.

“That I could find, yes,” Lily says with a smile.

“I need it to be somebody incredible for this to work, Magnus, and let’s face it, who is more incredible than you!” She tells him.

“Well, darling, I can’t disagree with you there,” Magnus drawled.

“Look, there’s still time. Today’s Thursday. Take the weekend and think it over. Talk to your friends and family, and I’ll call you on Monday for your decision. Please truly consider this, Magnus. I think it could be wonderful for our community, and who knows, maybe you just might find your perfect mate!”

At that, Magnus gave a small, sad chuckle. 

“I don’t know if I even believe that exists anymore, Lily.”

“Honestly, me either,” Lily lets slip. “But there’s nothing wrong with hoping, right?”

As Magnus watches her consideringly, Lily decides to leave, while she’s somewhat ahead.

“Think it over. I’ll call you Monday, ok?”

“Sure thing, Lily. Talk to you on Monday.”

Magnus gave his friends a sardonic look, unamused by the laughter now erupting among them. It was Saturday night, and the first chance the four of them had had to catch up since Magnus’s meeting with Lily. 

A couple of drinks in, Magnus had decided to share his news of the meeting, almost certain he was going to refuse the opportunity. He had initially shared in his friend’s amusement at the idea of himself becoming the Bachelor, but he was starting to get a little annoyed now. 

Ok, the idea was absurd, but surely it was not so far out of the realm of possibility that it warranted this response. 

It had been nearly five minutes since he had told them, and rather than the laughter die down, it instead seemed to be revving up. Indeed, Raphael, just thirty seconds ago, had had to reach out and capture Cat’s arm to prevent her from falling out of the booth from laughter, tears pouring down both their faces.

“Ok, ok. It’s not that crazy, you know. Maybe you should all calm down,” Magnus drawls, giving his so-called friends a mild glare. 

The glare became real though when Ragnor, wiping tears of laughter from his cheeks, reached out and grasped a light-up rose that sat in the centre of the VIP tables at Pandemonium.

“Magnus,” Ragnor choked out between fits of laughter.

“Will you accept this rose?” 

At this ridiculous display, Cat and Raphael erupted in fresh peals of laughter, once again, Cat actually falling from the booth this time, causing Ragnor and Raphael to only laugh harder.

Suddenly annoyed by the response, Magnus drained his drink and stood to leave.

“Ok, I am going to go and get myself a new drink and check in on the bar. If you all could see fit to remember that you are purportedly adults and call yourself my friends, and therefore are meant to support me, instead of laugh at my misfortune, I would appreciate it.”

Ignoring their calls for him to come back and their weak apologies, Magnus followed through on his comment and went to check things out at the bar.

“Hey boss!”

“Hi Pete. How’s it going?” 

As his bartender began to give him the rundown on the night so far, Magnus let his mind wander. He’d known his friends would find this whole thing amusing. Hell! He’d been expecting to share in the laugh with them. He had no idea why he was so irritated by their reaction, but he was, he was genuinely annoyed. He let his irritation run wild, while Pete continued to talk to him, hoping to have let it run its course, by the time he headed back to the table.

“So what do you think?”

Magnus looked up guiltily as he realised that Pete had asked him a question. Realising that Magnus hadn’t been listening, Pete let out a chuckle.

“You know, I think it’s a good thing you put Ragnor in charge of the administrative side of things. It might stop you from losing the club one of these days.”

“Oh, shut up!” Magnus said, rolling his eyes.

“What’d you ask me?”

“I was suggesting we hire a new bartender for the Thursday - Saturday night shifts now that business has started picking up. We’ve been really slammed these last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll have Ragnor get started on it. Sorry, Pete. My mind was elsewhere.”

“It’s all good, Magnus,” Pete grins.

“You want another round sent to the table?”

“Yeah, that’d be good, thank you.”

Magnus threw Pete one last smile and headed back to the table, feeling his irritation mostly drained away after their exchange. He couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive though the closer he got to returning to his friends. 

He knew now that he wanted them to talk him out of this ridiculous idea, because he, for some insane reason, had actually started considering it. 

It had come to him as Pete had chatted away to him. Magnus had found himself imagining what sort of people might end up being his dates. Imagining himself finding someone, and not just anyone, but that special someone. 

He had only had two serious relationships in his life. One had simply fizzled out, and the other had broken his heart, both of those reactions causing Magnus to shy away from finding love again. 

Deep inside, he craved it, though. He craved having someone to share his life with. Someone who could come dance with him when life was worth celebrating, hold him when life got too much and wonder with him when they discovered new experiences. 

More than anything else though, he wanted somebody to share a night at home with. A night at home with nothing more than a shared meal, and a movie on Netflix, exchanging warm hugs and soft kisses. 

Everyone knew Magnus as the life of the party and expected him to act as such, but truthfully, he loved those quiet moments with someone special. Times when nothing and no one else was needed but each other.

Now Lily had offered Magnus a chance to find that person. Maybe. A distant chance, but a chance. And he needed his friends to talk him out of it before he risked putting himself back out there again.

As Magnus approached the table, he raised his eyebrow at his friends and shot them a bad-tempered look.

“Have you all decided to act like adults again?”

“We’re very sorry, Magnus,” Cat apologised, a sheepish look on her face.

“Yes, truly. We apologise for our distasteful behaviour,” Ragnor added.

“No we don’t,” Raphael uttered.

As the other three all shot him incredulous looks, Raphael shrugged shamelessly.

“What! It was genuinely funny!” He said.

“Yes, I think I got the point you were all trying to make about how ludicrous you all find it, thank you!” Magnus hits back, his irritation beginning to return.

Raphael gives him another unapologetic shrug before speaking again.

“Well, regardless of how ludicrous it is, as you say, I think you should do it.”

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone tried to process Raphael’s words, while he simply gave them a bored look and took a sip of his drink.

“What?” Magnus eventually blurts out.

“I think you should do it,” Raphael repeats.

“Actually, so do I,” Cat interjects, looking eagerly turning from Raphael to Magnus, with an excited look.

Magnus looks at them, bewildered, before turning to look at Ragnor.

“Ragnor?” He asked, confused.

“I still think it’s preposterous,” Ragnor announces.

As Cat and Raphael each shoot him a dirty look, Magnus sat down heavily next to Ragnor and dazedly looked at Cat and Raphael.

“I don’t understand. You think I should do it?” He asks.

Cat lets out a small sigh, before leaning forward across the table and grasping Magnus’s hand.

“Magnus, you have wanted love your entire life, and you have spent the last few years running from it,” Cat tells him.

“But — “Magnus starts,

“But nothing, Magnus,” Raphael tells him. “You run around and pretend to be happy, but ultimately you are miserable, and it annoys the hell out of me. So go get happy.”

“Nice, Raph,” Magnus mutters.

“Magnus, I’m being serious,” Raphael tells him, holding up a hand to Cat, who was about to interrupt him.

“Ever since Imasu, you have walked around, acting carefree and happy, pretending you had everything you wanted, but it was all crap. You have been in pain this entire time and we, as your friends, have seen this. And loving you as we do, seeing you in pain hurts us.”

Raphael’s words sat heavily amongst the friends, causing Cat and Magnus to openly well up, while Ragnor verbally scoffed and turned away before sniffing and rubbing suspiciously at the corner of his eye.

“Geez Raph, give a guy a little warning before you spring something like that on him,” Magnus chokes out, moved more than he could express by his friend’s words.

“Well, it’s true,” Raph replied calmly.

“And bloody annoying too. Get off me, Cat!” Raphael huffed out, as Cat, overcome with tears once more, this time of a more emotional nature, threw her arms around him and began smothering his cheek with constant kisses.

“I knew there was a heart in there, Raphael!” She declared.

“I never said there wasn’t, and stop kissing me you blasted woman!” 

Magnus chuckled to himself as he watched Raphael physically pry Cat off him and hold her away, their arms held out to the side as though he were teaching her to fly.

“Alright, Cat, let him be,” Magnus told his friend as Cat used the last of her leverage to lean forward and place one more kiss on Raphael’s cheek, before leaning back in her seat.

“You really think I should go for it?” He asked them hesitantly.

“We do,” Cat answered.

“What if it doesn’t work out? What if I make a fool of myself? Or get my heart broken again?”

This time, surprisingly, it was Ragnor that answered.

“Tell me this. If those things happen, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“What do you mean?” Magnus asks incredulously.

“I’ll have my heartbroken! Or make a fool of myself on tv! Or both!”

“If you make a fool of yourself, it will only make the news for a few weeks, before something else gets people talking,” Ragnor points out. 

“We know this, from that time you had a wardrobe malfunction at Pride 4 years ago and somehow turned your hot pants see-through,” he continued.

“To be fair,” Cat interrupts, “it was Pride. Everyone thought he’d done it on purpose.”

“We thought he’d done it on purpose Cat,” Raphael reminds her, “that’s why we never told him. We thought he knew.”

“Well it does sound like something he’d do,” Cat agreed.

“No it doesn’t!” Magnus disagreed, “And I still haven’t forgiven the three of you for that!”

“Anyway!” Ragnor interrupts, raising his voice to be heard above them, “Everyone forgot about that after a few weeks, and they will also forget about any foolish thing you do on the show.”

“And if I get my heart broken?” Magnus asks in a low voice.

“Then you will have your best friends here ready to help you, just like before,” Ragnor answers.

Magnus sends the man a soft smile.

“I thought you said it sounded preposterous?” 

“It is.” Ragnor replies.

“Preposterous suits you.”

At this, Magnus gives a soft chuckle, unable to refute the man’s claim.

“What does Phillip think? Have you told him?”

Magnus smiles at the memory of the conversation with his stepfather earlier that day.

_“I think that’s a brilliant idea, Magnus!” Phillip told him over lunch._

_“Are you kidding?”_

_“Why? What’s wrong with it?”_

_“I’d be trying to find love on a tv show! Called The Bachelor! Twenty guys and gals vying for my attention and their 15 minutes of fame, what could possibly go wrong?” Magnus asks sarcastically._

_“Nonsense!” Phillip declares._

_“Yes, some of them will be on there to try and be famous, but there may be some who are genuinely looking for love, and that’s a good thing. You’ve always been an excellent judge of character, so I’m confident you’ll be able to weed out the bad ones and focus on the good.”_

_“Oh yeah, I really judged Imasu well!”_

_“Yes, you did. You told me the first time you introduced him to me that the two of you were completely incompatible. Why you continued to date him is beyond me.”_

_“I dated him because I loved him,” Magnus defended._

_“No, you dated him, because he convinced you that what the two of you had was love, and then he tried to change you into what he actually wanted, but my point stands. You knew going in you weren’t a good fit,” Phillip told him gently._

_“Whatever.”_

_“Hello, he’s a teenager again!” Phillip jokingly told the empty room before affectionately nudging Magnus’s shoulder._

_After trying and failing to stifle a grin at his step father’s teasing, Magnus had quickly brought the conversation back to the topic at hand._

_“You really want me to do it?”_

_“I want you to be happy,” Phillip answered him softly._

_“And if your mother were still here, I have no doubt she would be giving you the same advice.”_

_At the mention of his beautiful mother, Indah, the two men exchanged sad, gentle smiles, each lost in their own grief for a moment, before shaking it off._

_“Ok, I’ll think it over,” he had told Phillip._

_“Good boy! Now, how’s the club going?”_

“Oh, he’s all for it!” Magnus tells them, still surprised by his step father’s reaction to the proposal.

“Then go for it!” Cat tells him.

As Magnus, looks around at his friends, he takes a moment to consider whether he was really up to do this. 

Despite Ragnor’s reassurance that he would survive any future humiliation or heartbreak the show provided, Magnus wasn’t so sure. 

The humiliation, sure, because truthfully, it took a lot to embarrass Magnus, and what did, he generally let go of quickly. But the heartbreak — the heartbreak was a different story. He honestly didn’t know if he had another one in him. 

As he thought about it though, he couldn’t help a small surge of excitement, he felt at the possibility of finding someone special. 

Raphael and Cat were right. He had been pretending to be happy for years, and in some ways, he had been. He had great friends, a wonderfully kind and supportive stepfather, a successful business and a purpose in helping others in the LGBTQ+ community that kept him feeling fulfilled. 

He didn’t need a partner to make him happy. But he wanted one anyway. Not to make him happy, but to share the happiness with. He wanted it desperately.

“Ok. I’ll do it. I’ll call Lily on Monday,” he declared.

“Good,” Raphael answered as Cat and Ragnor each let out a cheer.

“Now let’s change the subject,” Raphael said.

**Present Day**

“What’s not a problem,” Magnus demands, a thread of steel sounding in his tone.

Magnus watches as Lily purses her lips before audibly swallowing. 

“So, it turns out,” she starts, “that one of the male contestants was arrested last night for drink driving —“

“—What?” Magnus erupts, “I thought you back-checked these people Lily! Who the hell are you setting me up with?”

“We did do background checks! Of course, we did! The guy had a spotless record! Apparently, he decided to go out for one last night of freedom before coming on the show, and it went too far.”

“Yeah! Apparently!” Magnus exclaims, disgusted.

“Listen, we’ve already got a replacement, and he’s a friend of mine, so I know he’s a good guy.”

Magnus closes his eyes briefly, trying to recover his trademark cool, before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes. 

“Just tell me he’s gay,” he says, with a tight smile.

“Or bi, or pan, or . . . Whatever! Just tell me he’s into guys, and you have not just pulled some random straight friend into this, because I told you, I would only do this if we had an honest representation of people,” he pleaded.

“He is absolutely 100% gay. Like, seriously gay. Trust me on that.”

“Ok, then,” Magnus replies, somewhat reassured.

He starts to feel a little less assured, however, when Lily continues to stand there a little awkwardly. 

“What else, Lily?” He asks tiredly.

“Well, my friend is not what you would call a fan of coming on the show, and I kinda talked him into it as a favour to me, so he would appreciate it if at the rose ceremony tonight, you send him home.”

“And how is that not fake?” He says exasperatedly.

“Well, because! He is genuinely on the show, he’s genuinely gay, and he is genuinely gorgeous!”

“And it’s prearranged for me to vote him off! That is not genuine!” He all but yelled at her.

“Look, if you like him, don’t vote him off! It’s not a done thing, it’s absolutely, completely up to you.”

Rolling his eyes at her, Magnus stifles the urge to throw something at the young producer.

“I thought you said you wanted me to evict him at the rose ceremony tonight? Now you’re telling me he can stay?”

“Of course, he can stay!” Lily said shrilly.

“I thought he didn’t want to be here and was only doing it as a favour to you!” He said, pointing his finger at her to express some of his frustration.

“He is!” She said.

After a small beat, she sighed tiredly and threw her hands up.

“Look, he is doing this as a favour for me, and truth be told, he was our only option and he does want off. That being said, if you end up liking him and wanting him to stay, I will be thrilled! He is a great guy, and he deserves to be happy and meet a great guy like you too!”

“Then, why —“Magnus begins before Lily cuts her off.

“— because he is also a grumpy, isolating bastard and I don’t think you are going to want to keep him around anyway! No matter how gorgeous he is!”

Lily takes a breath as she settles her gaze on Magnus.

“Look, truth is, this is our only option,” Lily says resignedly.

“If you want out, I completely understand, but I really want this to work.”

“Magnus, you know how important this season is, not just for me, or for you, but for our community. I am begging you, just meet all your dates, vote off who you want, and give this a go,” she pleaded softly.

For a brief moment, Magnus thought about just walking away from this crazy show. But as he looked over at Lily’s pleading face, and he thought about what this could do for his community if the show were successful, he felt himself cave.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m staying,” he said, chuckling at the relieved expression on Lily’s face.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Magnus! Ok, I am going to bring Margaret back in here. You can keep getting dressed and making yourself look as fabulous as possible, and I will see you right before the greeting ceremony!” She said brightly.

“Lily!” He said as she turned to move back out the door.

“Yeah?” She said, turning back at him with a cautious smile.

“What’s your friend’s name?” He asks.

Seeing the apprehensive look on Lily’s face, he gently reassures her.

“So I know who to send home tonight.”

“Oh!” She says, visibly relieved.

“Alec. His name is Alec.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily asks Alec for a huge favour, and Magnus prepares to start his experience as The Bachelor.

Alec took another sip of coffee from his cup as he watched the harried assistant frantically type out a message on his phone, he could only assume in response to the continuous pings erupting from it.

He gave the man a reassuring smile, as Jonathon, as he had introduced himself, sent him another apologetic look.

“I’m sure Lily won’t be much longer. We’ve just hit a small hiccup with the show, and seeing as we start airing tonight, it’s caused a bit of a panic,” he confides in Alec.

“I can come back another day if that works better for her . . .” Alec offers.

“No, she’ll definitely want to see you. She’s been talking about her friend coming into town all week. She’d be disappointed if you leave,” Jonathon tells him.

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

“No problem,” Alec answers, sitting back in his chair in the reception room, casually crossing one leg over the other and letting his head rest against the backrest, eyes drifting shut.

It had been a long few months for Alec, this last trip taking a bit longer than he had initially planned, but he’d been unable to abandon his latest story.

When he’d graduated from University with a creative writing degree 7 years ago, he’d had no idea what to do with it. He’d written some stuff previously, completing a variety of bits and pieces since he was a kid. Still, nothing he felt was good enough or that he was passionate enough about to put out there for review or possible publication.

So not knowing what he wanted to do with his life, he had gotten his parents blessing to withdraw a small part of his savings and take off for a year to go backpacking on his own. He had had enough money that he could start travelling with a bit of a safety net, but he would need to work as he went to keep going, but that was what he wanted. 

He had travelled often with his family growing up and had always enjoyed it, getting a thrill out of experiencing new things and seeing new sights, finding it energised him. So, with no idea what he wanted to do with his life, he had decided to take some time to travel on his own, try and see if he couldn’t find something for himself.

He loved his family and friends, and had always found release and freedom in writing, but had yet to find a topic or a cause that he could get behind. He had watched growing up, as his friends and siblings had begun to find their passion, and he had been unsure as to why he hadn’t found his. 

Isabelle had started designing her own jewellery at around age 11, her designs getting more and more detailed and sophisticated the older she got. Max had been too young at only 8 to know what he wanted to do with his life, but even he had things he could talk enthusiastically about for hours

His best friend Jace had wanted to come with him when he told him about his plans to take off for a year. It had taken Alec almost two months to talk him out of it. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted Jace to come with him, but he’d felt a need to do it alone, not wanting anyone else to rely on or lead him in a specific direction. He’d wanted to take each moment as it came and let things happen organically.

_“You’re insane!” Jace told him._

_“What if you get hurt?”_

_“Then I’ll go to a hospital, Jace. They have them all over the world,” Alec reassured him._

_“Well, what if you get lost?” His friend argued._

_“I can’t get lost. I’ve got no plans that I’m following. You can’t get lost if you don’t have a specific direction you’re supposed to be going in, to begin with.”_

_“And that doesn’t sound crazy to you?” Jace pleaded._

_Alec felt a smile creep over his face at his friend’s protectiveness, and once again, was flooded with love for the man who had become a second brother to him._

_Jace’s mother had died early on in Jace’s life, and his father had been a proper arsehole. The two had only been six years old when they’d been buddied up on the first day of school. Alec had immediately noticed the fresh bruises around the other boy’s wrist, but at that time, had been too young to know what it meant._

_He had grown to understand the meaning behind them though, and as time went on, and his father became more and more vindictive and abusive, Jace had begun spending more and more time at the Lightwoods._

_He’d been welcomed in by the whole family and had actually been given his own room at the age of 13, though he still preferred to sleep on the trundle pull out in Alec’s room whenever he stayed over. No matter how much he’d been welcomed into the family though, Alec was still his person, the two sharing a unique and instinctive bond, that left them feeling extremely protective of each other._

_“I promise I’ll be fine, Jace. If I need you, you are only a phone call away, and vice versa, ok.”_

_At Jace’s small nod, Alec reinforced his point._

_“I mean it, Jace! If you need me for anything, you call me, you message me, whatever, you tell me. You need me for anything, and I’ll be right here, ok?”_

_At Alec’s insistent tone, Jace rolled his eyes before giving him an affectionate look._

_“I’ll be fine, Alec. You’re the one who’s going traipsing off to destinations unknown for months on end,” he told him exasperatedly._

_“I’ll be fine too, brother. I promise.”_

_“Yeah, well just so you know,” Jace tells him, “if you’re not fine, I’m gonna kick your arse!”_

But Alec had been fine. He’d travelled throughout South America, already a fluent Spanish speaker, with basic Portuguese. He’d started by merely crossing the border into Mexico and travelling south through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, before heading over to Colombia, crossing over to Ecuador before heading into Peru. He’d then continued travelling down the West Coast, heading to around mid-Argentina, before heading back up North through Paraguay and into Brazil. He’d stayed in Brazil for some time, eventually finding his way over to Puerto Rico after heading out from French Guiana. He’d then travelled back through the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, before moving through the Turks and Caicos Islands, then The Bahamas and then into Florida, where he’d made his way back to NY.

He’d tried to stay away from all the touristy areas that everyone already knew about and had spent time venturing into the less well-known regions, making friends with the locals and getting work alongside them, creating a wide variety of friends along the way. In the end, he’d been gone just on 17 months.

He’d known that it would be impossible for him to keep everyone up to date on his travels, so he’d set up a blog before he left and simply posted his travel stories there, along with photo’s, for his family to read and leave comments on.

What he hadn’t known was how many other people would randomly come across his blog and enjoy reading about his travels. By the time he’d gotten back into NY, he had a variety of travel magazines and papers clamouring to obtain permission to publish his writing and hire him to take other trips.

After careful consideration and many conversations with his father, who was an intellectual property lawyer, he’d agreed to sell individual pieces and accepts sponsorships for future travels, while still maintaining complete autonomy over where he would go and how he would write his story.

Little had he known when he left for that first trip, that he was setting off to find his passion and his career. He’d since written countless magazine articles, done a few pieces for a Netflix travel series and published two books on his travels, having continued to travel all over the world, with plans to do so much more yet.

He’d gotten back from a return trip to South America last month, spending most of his time in Honduras with one of the friends he’d made all those years ago. 

He’d been collecting some last-minute research for his third book and immediately after that had spent the last three weeks in Los Angeles. He’d needed to film a few pieces for ‘Travel Stories’ the Netflix show, he’d occasionally appear on and had had a few meetings with his publisher to outline his third book, before he’d finally been able to fly back into NY.

He’d made plans to come and see Lily today, while she was working in the Hamptons. 

It had been a while since the two high school friends had had a chance to catch up in person, what with both of them being so busy. It was only meant to be a quick lunch today, as Lily was busy prepping for her show, having finally gotten the head producer spot, but he’d missed her so he was happy to take whatever time she could spare. 

Alec had offered to come back when filming wrapped for the show, as he had purposefully put the next six months aside to write and spend time with family and friends, and therefore had plenty of time in front of him. 

However, Lily had been adamant that if he was finally in town, she wanted to see him, so here he was. He had spent the last twenty minutes lounging in the lobby of the production building, waiting for his friend to find a free moment so they could spend a half-hour together, eating and trying to catch up.

And it was wonderful. 

As much as Alec loved his job, and he did, he adored it, he always loved those times when he came home and could just relax. He could easily lose himself for an entire day in a good book, while away hours with Max practising their archery together, or spend a few good hard hours grappling with Jace at his gym, before chilling out together with a few beers over a pool table or in front of a dartboard. 

He could even enjoy spending a few hours holding Izzy’s bags as she dragged him around the shops on one of her endless shopping sprees, though of all the options that was his least favourite, in spite of how much he loved his sister.

Alec is enjoying the opportunity just to kick back and relax and close his eyes when a smile breaks over his face upon hearing his friend enter the room.

“Alec! You look good, you sexy bastard!”

Letting out a deep chuckle, Alec unfolds his long frame from the chair and holds his arms out to give her a warm hug.

“Hey there, shrimp,” he says affectionately, bending down to wrap her up in his arms, before straightening up till her feet leave the ground.

“Oi!” She laughingly protests, “Put me down, you oaf!”

Laughing, Alec lowers her down to the ground and presses a kiss to the top of her head before he lets her go.

“How are you doing?” He asks her.

“I’m all the better for seeing you,” she tells him with a soft smile.

“You sure you’ve got time to see me?” He asks her.

“From what I hear you’ve got a little bit of a crisis on your hands.”

“I do. And I have no idea how I’m going to fix it just yet, and I am losing my mind. So I am going to take twenty minutes to have lunch with one of my oldest friends and try to forget about it for a little while,” she tells him with a somewhat quavering smile.

“Is there anything I can do?” Alec asks gently.

“No. Not unless you can come up with a hot, single . . . “ 

Alec watches her uneasily as Lily’s voice trails off, and she begins giving him a speculative look.

“What?” He asks her suspiciously.

“You,” she says in amazement, looking over at her assistant excitedly.

“Me, what me?”

“You, I need you! Jonathon!” She calls out, turning to look at Alec’s previous companion.

“Need me for what, Lily?” Alec asks her mistrustfully.

“Yes, Lily?” Her assistant asks, having made his way over.

“Tell Maia, I found our guy,” she tells him, looking back at Alec with a massive smile on her face.

“You did?” Jonathon asks perplexed, before following her gaze to Alec. 

“Oh! Wow, really? That’s awesome! I’ll go let her know!” 

And before Alec can even begin to guess what is going on, the tall, gangly man is gone.

“Lily, what the hell is going on?” Alec demanded.

“I recognise that look on your face. It’s the same one you had every time you were about to do something that would undoubtedly get us detention in school. I am telling you now, whatever it is you are thinking, I am not doing it!”

Alec watches as his friend takes a huge breath and begin to brace herself, clearly working herself up to convince him to do something he wouldn’t want to do.

“Alec, you know how we’ve been friends for years, and how we would truly do anything for each other, because we know and love each other, so utterly and completely?” She begins sweetly.

“Oh hell, no! If you’re pulling this card, I already know this is something I will live to regret. The answer is no.”

Alec is almost set to walk away when he is struck immobile by the site of tears beginning to well in Lily’s eyes.

“Please Alec,” she begs him, “Just hear me out.”

Alec groans audibly, before relenting, and almost immediately regretting his decision when Lily’s eyes immediately clear.

“Fine! Tell me what’s going on,” he huffed, and the two of them settled back down into the chairs that Alec had just left, so he could listen while she laid it out for him.

“No way!” Alec bit out.

“I can’t do this!”

“Please, Alec! This is a big break for me. I need you to do this,” Lily begged him.

“Why can’t somebody else do it?” Alec asked her desperately.

“Because, Alec. We need another guy. It’s 12 guys and 12 girls,” she explained, before unnecessarily adding, “You’re a guy.”

“Oh, well spotted,” Alec said sarcastically.

“There are plenty of guys here, Lily!” He spat out.

“A gay guy, Alec. One who is as gorgeous and sexy as you!”

“Well, what the hell does that matter?”

“It’s The Bachelor, Alec! We need good looking people.”

“What, ugly people don’t deserve love?” Alec harshly inquired of his long-time friend.

“Oh, don’t give me that crap. You know I’m not like that, Alec, but this is tv, and the audience expects a little glamour,” Lily explained.

“Then you definitely don’t want me,” Alec told her.

“Alec, I am begging you. Please do this for me? I’m calling in all favours here. Surely you can give me one day?” Lily looked up at Alec, pleading for his help. 

“One day?’ He asks, “I thought this thing went for months!”

“It does! But look! I can talk to our Bachelor and ask him to vote you off tonight, and then you can go home and forget all about it!” Lily promises him.

“Lily!”

“Please? Look, we get you dressed in a nice suit, you get driven to a house, where you’ll meet a good looking guy, and exchange a few words of greeting. Then it’s a short little cocktail party, and you go to a rose ceremony where you’ll be voted off. Easy peasy.”

“And he’ll be ok with that?” He asks her worriedly.

“Well, he won’t love it to be honest, but he’ll do it, I’ll make sure of it.”

Alec considers her request before offering up another objection.

“I hate getting dressed up and going to those ridiculous formal parties, Lily, and you know it.”

“I know you hate it because I know what a grumpy, isolating bastard you are, and I love you for it. I also know you can do this because you have done it. You’ve been doing this for years, Alec! Schmoosing all those rich fans of yours who sponsor your work and charities.”

“That’s work. This is not work,” he tells her, before cutting in again before she has a chance to answer.

“And I am not a grumpy, isolating bastard. I just don’t like most people, and so prefer to avoid them.”

“I know that I do, but please Alec,” she tells him beseechingly, “please do this for me. I really want this show to work, and I am out of time. As much as I know this isn’t your thing, I also know that you are a hell of a catch and more than capable of acting charming for a few hours.”

Seeing him still internally debating after she spoke, she pouted up at him and gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

At this, Alec rolled his eyes and let out a huff, at which, Lily, knowing she has won, let out a squeal. Jumping up and down, she reached out and gave him a quick hug, before darting away to get things organised, yelling out over her shoulder, “Thank you, Alec!!! I love you!”

“I hate you!” Alec yelled back, unsure she could hear him, but still, it made him feel better.

Alec was still doubting his decision ten minutes later when Clary came to collect him, with a huge grin spread across her face.

“I cannot believe you agreed to this Alec! What in the hell did Lily say to you to get you to agree?” She asks him with a laugh.

“Shut it, Red!” He tells her, before returning her hug as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He’d met the petite redhead nearly four years ago, not long after she had come to work alongside Lily. It’d taken a beat, but in the end, he had decided he liked the girl when he’d seen her take down a guy twice her size, who’d refused to take no for an answer one night out. 

He’d once again made plans to meet up with Lily after one of his trips, and surprisingly to him, she had brought along some of the crew members she was currently working with. Unbeknownst to him, the purpose of the night was for Lily to set him up with a colleague of hers. To hide her intentions, she had invited a few others along also, Clary being one of them. 

Alec had failed to be impressed by Lily’s co-worker, but by the end of the night had made firm friends with Clary. Enough so, that he had introduced her to Jace six months later. It had taken a little while for Jace to stop acting like some foolish alpha male and give Clary a chance to get to know the guy that Alec did. Still, eventually, he had, and the two of them had just celebrated their third anniversary by moving in together.

Alec closed his eyes in distress, as he realised just how quickly all of this was going to get back to his family. Clary would tell Jace, who would tell Izzy, who would then share it to Max and their parents and anyone else who would listen.

“Did you already tell Jace?” He asked dully.

“Not yet,” she tells him with a grin.

Before he can finish his sigh of relief, though, she continues.

“Only because I haven’t had the time though. He definitely has to know!”

“Clary, please!” 

Relenting, she gives him a small squeeze around the waist as she begins to pull him off to one of the doors.

“Fine, I’ll let you tell him. But just so you know, once you have, we are all absolutely laughing about this.”

“Yeah, I figured. Where are we going?” 

“We are going to wardrobe!” Clary announced.

“We need to get you a suit to meet your Bachelor! I know you weren’t expecting to have to dress up and act all charming tonight, so we’re lending you a suit. After all, we need to make you look all handsome and scrumptious, so he falls instantly in love with you, and sends all the other good little boys and girls home,” she tells him cheekily.

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, I love you.”

“I love you too, Alec.”

As Clary comes to a stop in front of a door, she gives him another hug, before opening the door.

“Let’s go handsome.”

“I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?” He asks despairingly.

“Nope!” She chuckles.

Meanwhile;

“So, Magnus. Are you ready to meet your dates?” Lily asks him expectantly, walking across the room to where Magnus was waiting.

Magnus had finished getting ready for the night, having thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the wonderful Margaret, and deciding that if she was an example of what this experience was going to be, then he was going to have a wonderful time.

He was conveniently choosing to ignore the slight hick-up with one of his dates, deciding that he was simply going to send Lily’s friend home, and then move on with a fresh outlook.

“Absolutely,” Magnus tells the producer. 

“Who’s this?” He asks, gesturing to the nerdy, and bespectacled, yet not unattractive man standing slightly behind her.

At his question, Lily moves somewhat to the side and gestures the man forward.

“Magnus, this is Simon Lewis. You and he are going to become great friends during this whole show,” she tells him.

“Wonderful! Well, it’s lovely to meet you, great friend,” Magnus declares, holding his hand out for the young man in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Magnus,” Simon says with a smile.

“So, we are about to head out to the greeting garden,” Lily says, ignoring the grimace Magnus gives at the name of the garden.

“This is where you will wait for your dates to come and introduce themselves to you. They will arrive one at a time, and you will have a few minutes with each of them, while the limo circles around to pick up the next one. We’ve got it set up, so it will be a woman, and then a man, then a woman, and a man and so on and so forth. Any questions so far?”

“Nope. So far, all simple,” Magnus tells her.

“Great, so this will all last around two hours, after which, Simon here, will escort you back to the cocktail party, where you will have around three hours to get to know everyone and spend time with all of the dates. Feel free to take a few of them aside for some, one on one time if you want to get to know them a little more, but just remember that the camera’s are going to be there to record it all. There are going to be multiple camera’s, at least one of which, and sometimes two will be constantly focused on you.”

“Ok,” Magnus responds, a little less confident sounding.

“You doing ok?” Lily checks in.

“Yep. Doing good. What else?”

“Ok, so if at any time you feel you have a strong connection with one person, in particular, you will have a rose that you can give out during the cocktail party, prior to the actual rose ceremony at the end of the night. If you do decide there is someone you want to give a rose too, we ask that you let Simon know ahead of time,” Lily tells him gesturing back at Simon.

As Magnus looks over at the man, Simon sends him a reassuring smile, before taking over a little from Lily.

“So, I’ll generally be standing behind the main camera on you, which will be handled by Mark, who I’ll introduce you to in a minute. If there is someone you want to speak to privately, or give a rose to, not just tonight but at any point during the show, we only ask you to let me know before you do so.

As Lily said, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together throughout the show. I’ll help you plan and set up any dates you want to organise, I’ll help you think through any video confessions you want to do, and in the case of one on one meetings at the cocktail parties or giving roses, I’ll make sure that the camera is set up and ready to film it.”

At the barrage of information coming at him, Magnus begins to feel a little concerned.

“I can’t help but think this is all starting to sound a little bit scripted,” he tells them.

“Not at all,” Lily tells him. “Who you want to talk to, or give roses to, or go on dates with, or anything like that, is entirely up to you. We won’t influence you in any way when it comes to those matters. We just want to make sure we get it on camera, that’s all.”

“Ok,” Magnus says, taking a big breath.

“So, we’re going to get started in a minute,” Simon tells him with a gentle smile.

“Is there anything you need from me before we get started?”

“I don’t think so,” Magnus tells him.

“Alright then, I’m going to go and grab a few things, and I’ll be right back.”

As Simon walks off, Magnus turns back towards Lily. 

“How are you holding up?” She asks him gently. 

“I know this can all feel a little much at the beginning.”

“I’m doing ok. A little nervous, and I’m kind of questioning how you managed to talk me into this, right now, but I think I’ll be good once we get started.”

“I understand that. And I can be very convincing, so don’t beat yourself up about not being able to say no. Not many can,” she tells him cheekily.

“Speaking of which, how’s your friend holding up?”

At his question, Lily gives a slight chuckle.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s planning my murder as we speak,” she tells him with a smile.

“Since we’re on the topic of Alec, just so you know, Simon, as well as Clary and Jonathon, who you met earlier, all know that Alec is a friend of mine. They all know the idea is for him to head home tonight, but as far as everyone else is concerned, he is just a last-minute replacement we got. I would kind of like to keep it that way if you don’t mind. At least until after the show is over, at which point tell who you want. I just don’t want anyone influenced in filming him or avoiding him or whatever.”

“No problem,” Magnus tells her.

“I’m fascinated to meet this grumpy hunk of yours.”

“I’ve probably spoilt him a bit for you. Truth is, he’s a fantastic guy, he’s just not all that social, so he comes over as a grumpy sod. Please be gentle with him,” Lily tells him.

“I will treat him with kid gloves, and send him home before midnight, just like Cinderella,” Magnus promises her.

At this comment, Lily lets out a laugh.

“Oh, this is going to be fun. And the cocktail party will be ending closer to dawn than midnight, but I take your point.”

Giving one last chuckle, at the shock on Magnus’s face, Lily gives his a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

As Simon walks back over with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a clipboard in his hands, Magnus and Lily both turn back to him. Magnus gives him a grateful smile, when Simon hands him a bottle of water, finding his mouth suddenly very dry as he thinks about what’s to come.

“Ok, I am going to leave you in Simon’s capable hands, and I shall see you in a few hours at the cocktail party. If you need anything in the meantime, Simon has immediate access to me over his headset. Have a great night!” Lily tells him with a smile before walking off.

Simon gives him another gentle smile, before gesturing to a door, separate from the one Lily just walked through.

“Shall we head out to the car and head to the greeting garden?” Simon asks.

“Do we really have to call it that?” Magnus asks, cringing once again at the terrible name.

“Hell yes, we do. It’s a cool name! Almost as cool a name as Simon!” The man tells him with a grin.

Magnus gives him an incredulous look before the two of them break into shared laughter.

Magnus is still chuckling slightly as he turns and follows Simon out of the room and into the waiting SUV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed the second chapter. Next chapter is where all the fun begins as Magnus and his dates all begin to interact. I am writing this story as I go, and my current plan is for each chapter to take place in what I call a bachelor cycle, each chapter finishing with a rose ceremony. I am very open to suggestions on this story, though I can only write what I feel able to, so please leave suggestions or comments below. I have a rough plan for this and know exactly where it is going to end up, but I am happy to add details people want to see. I am particularly interested in everyone’s idea’s for single and group dates.  
> Anyway, if you liked this chapter, please leave a comment below and a kudo if you haven’t already.  
> Have a great week everyone!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec gets his instructions and Magnus meets his dates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that I promised this chapter would include meeting all the dates and the cocktail party, but it just started to get away from me. I managed to have Magnus meet all the dates, but am going to stop it there for now as I am suffering with a slight cold and need to take a bit of a break. I wanted to get something out to you anyway, and I am still hoping to get the cocktail party out to you by the end of the weekend, but if not, it will definitely be up by next week.
> 
> For those that want it as a reference, I will be adding a list of the contestants in the end notes.

“Ok, everyone. Listen up!”

Alec looked up as Lily called for attention among the various men and women who had crowded into the small hall, dressed to the nines in their suits and evening dresses.

“We are about to get started. Your Bachelor is here and ready to go. Now, we have a well-practised system for how this night works, and we are going to ask you to cooperate with it to the very best of your abilities. It is a very long night, and most likely, the sun will be starting to peek over the horizon as we finish up, so prepare yourself now.”

Maybe it was Alec’s imagination, but he couldn’t help but feel that Lily was deliberately avoiding his gaze as she announced the lateness of the night ahead of him. She had conveniently neglected to tell him this when talking him into this farce.

“So, it will all work like this. Maia here is going to take the lead from within this room tonight, and you will all listen to her!” Lily tells them all with a stern look, her hand on the shoulder of a beautiful, strong woman, standing beside her.

“Hi, everyone. As Lily said, my name is Maia James, and alongside Jonathon and Clary here, we will be the people helping and guiding you throughout this entire journey. Anything you need, please come and see us. We will always do our very best to help you get the most enjoyment and satisfaction out of your Bachelor experience. Within reason,” she ends with a grin, drawing some soft laughs from the gathered dates.

As Maia takes a breath, Alec tries to capture Lily’s attention, a speculative frown on his face, as she once again seemed to look everywhere but at him. He briefly began wondering if he was acting paranoid when he saw Clary glance at him before throwing an unimpressed look to Maia. 

Catching the look from Clary, Alec watched as a distinctly guilty look came over Lily’s face before her glance flicked in Alec’s direction, never raising her eyes enough though, to actually meet his gaze.

Growing slightly worried about what was going on between the two, he threw Clary a questioning glance, not feeling a lot of reassurance when she gave him a weak smile and redirected her gaze. Knowing he wasn’t going to get any answers right now, Alec turned his focus back to Maia as she instructed them on the order of the night.

“I will be calling your name approximately ten minutes before you will step into the car, where either Jonathon or Clary will greet you. Jonathon will be there to guide the gentleman, while Clary will be in the car with the ladies, both will also have a cameraman with them. They will lead you in a few questions, on camera, for the show. Don’t worry if you get tongue-tied, they are both very practised in helping people through this, and I promise you, everyone will come out looking good if you trust them.”

Alec watches in amusement as Jonathon sends the group a reassuring smile, before exchanging a knowing smile with Clary. He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the two of them had gotten up to in previous seasons and resolves to say as little as he can manage when it’s his turn in the car.

“The drive will take approximately 3 minutes, at which point, when Jonathon or Clary indicates, you will exit the car and walk up the pathway to meet your Bachelor. At this time, you will have approximately 2 minutes, absolutely no more than 3, to introduce yourself and make an impression, before heading further along the path and into the resort where the cocktail party will take place.

When you are with the Bachelor, he will have another producer with him, named Simon, who will ensure you keep to your time frame and act appropriately. He looks like an absolute teddy bear, but I urge you not to test him, as he takes his job very seriously.”

As an uneasy chuckle goes around the group, Alec lowers his face to the ground. Knowing Simon as he did through his friendship with Clary, Alec was amused at the idea of the man being in any way frightening. The only time he had ever seen him become threatening, was when Alec had dared to voice the opinion that he thought Star Wars to be slightly over-rated. 

Thinking about the way the man had reacted to Alec’s innocent comment, he conceded that possibly Simon indeed was someone you didn’t want to mess with.

“When you get into the cocktail party,” Maia continues, “you will be back into the care of Lily here. I know this has already been said, but I will reiterate it. There is a limit of two drinks at every cocktail party. Trust me when I say, this is not the environment where you want to reach for a lot of liquid courage. You are going to be on tv, and we see it all.”

Maia gives a pointed smile, as the group chuckles, knowing that despite the alcohol ruling, more than one of them will still find a way to embarrass themselves at a cocktail party when the tensions are high. In fact, the show counts on it, knowing the drama brings the ratings. They had learned the hard way, though, that adding a lot of alcohol to the mix was a disastrous idea.

“You will have three hours at the cocktail party once the Bachelor arrives, and everyone will have a chance to interact with him. We ask that you do not request any time alone with him, as for tonight, that will be up to him only. He may ask you to step away with him for a private chat, in which case you will get approximately 5 minutes with him, no more than 8 before producers will come along and end that time.

At the end of the cocktail party, the Bachelor will step away with Simon and Lily, while Jonathon, Clary and myself will lead you all to the rose ceremony and get you organised. Now, it does run a little differently than you see on tv. The Bachelor will arrive and give out roses to 4 people before he will leave again for a few minutes. This will continue until the last rose has been given out. This will allow cameras to reposition and for the Bachelor to organise his choices before coming back out.

Now, when you are given a rose, we ask that you step forward to accept if you wish. If you receive a rose, the Bachelor will hand the females a rose to hold, while the men will have one pinned to their lapel. We ask that you keep the acceptance of the rose quick and straight-forward, as it’s a long night, and at this point, everyone will be starting to feel the fatigue. Now two people will be going home tonight, so if you do not get a rose, we ask you to stay in your spot until your host Michael invites you to say your goodbyes. At which point, say goodbye to who you wish, making sure you include the Bachelor and then follow the path where indicated back out to the car where Jonathon will once again be waiting for you to talk you through the night. You will be brought back to this room, while we wait for your luggage to arrive, and then a car will come and pick you up and move you back to the secondary hotel where you all stayed last night. After which, it’s up to you to get yourself back home. Any questions?”

As a few people raised their hands to make a few enquires, Alec let his attention drift off once more, no longer interested in what else was being discussed now that he knew the basic outline of his duties for the night. 

He couldn’t believe that Lily had talked him into this. He’d found himself in some strange situations over the last few years, but this had to be one of the oddest. Clary had managed to find him a suit that fitted his tall frame, explaining that they often had a few spares floating around, in case of an emergency, many of them donated by designers that wanted their outfits in the public eye.

He’d also managed a quick phone call to his sister Izzy, letting her know that he was not going to be returning that night, but that he would see her tomorrow. She’d wanted more details, but Alec had managed to get off the phone without explaining what had happened, simply claiming that Lily was waiting for him.

Now he was stuck sitting here waiting for his turn to meet some overconfident, over-styled, and undoubtedly underwhelming Bachelor before he would have to suffer through yet another hideous cocktail party. Only then could he be publicly refused a rose and allowed to finally head home. His glum thoughts were interrupted by Clary, who wanted to let him know that she had placed him in the middle group of dates, so, therefore, would be heading out in a little over thirty minutes.

“Tell me, Clary, how did I get stuck doing this again?” He asked.

“Cause despite your gruff and grumpy exterior, you’re really a soft touch who would do anything for his friends.”

“A fact that all of my friends seem to take great advantage of,” he tells her gloomily.

“And why does everyone keep calling me grumpy?” He says with a frown.

“You don’t actually need me to answer that do you?” She asks laughingly before stepping away.

At the Greeting Garden;

“The first date is a few minutes away, Magnus. You ready?” Simon asks, giving Magnus a reassuring look as he takes in the nervous way Magnus is fiddling with his rings.

“As I’ll ever be,” Magnus tells him.

“Ok, so just remember you’re aiming for 2 minutes with each date, if you go over that and approach the three-minute mark, I’ll come out and begin to wave you off, and that will be your signal to wrap it up. You can pull somebody aside later at the cocktail party if you want to spend a little more time with them.”

“Got it,” Magnus says with a confident nod.

“Also, remember that Mark here is going to have a camera on you the whole time, and you are miked to pick up every little whisper you make, so try to keep it clean and don’t say or reveal anything you don’t want revealed to the whole world, ok?” Simon tells him, with a pointed look. 

Nodding his head, Magnus turned to take a look at Mark, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, when the man sent him a cheeky smirk and lifted his camera slightly in an exaggerated ‘cheers’ gesture.

A minute later, Simon checks in with a voice on his headset and raising his eyebrows, gives Magnus a smile. 

“First date is pulling up. Into position, Magnus.”

“Ok,” Magnus says with a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

It is less than a minute later that the limousine pulls up at the end of the path. It’s only a few seconds after that Magnus sees the door open and a lithe blond step out. Magnus watched as she made her way up the path, taking in the way she seemed to pull off both elegance and sex appeal effortlessly. She was dressed in a one-shouldered gown, deep red but with an intriguing black shimmer sewn into it. Her hair was pulled back into a low gathering at her back, a deep side part perfectly highlighting the darkly shadowed eyes that made her green eyes just shine.

“Hi there,” she said, as she finally reached him.

“My name’s Camille, and I’m thrilled to meet you.”

“It’s great to meet you, Camille. I’m Magnus,” he tells her, as they grasp hands in front and lean forward to give each other a small kiss to the cheek.

“Actually, I have to confess,” she tells him with a wide smile, “I recognised you on the walk up.”

“Oh?” Magnus asked, intrigued.

“My younger brother came out a few years ago, and had a hard time of it, especially at school. He began following you on social media and one day you replied to a comment he’d made. You told him to stay strong and stay proud, amongst other things. It made his day, hell, it made his year,” she tells him, affection for her brother bleeding through her voice as she told her story.

“I’m so glad I was able to help him,” Magnus tells her with a genuine smile.

“How’s he doing now?” 

“He’s doing great actually,” Camille tells him, a flirty smile coming over her face.

“He’ll be doing even better when I tell him he can stand up for me at our wedding,” she tells him.

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled,” Magnus replies, finding himself wholly intrigued by the woman in front of him, and thoroughly enjoying their interaction.

“Well, Camille, it’s been great meeting you. I hope I’ll get a chance to talk to you some more at the cocktail party tonight.”

“Oh, I’ll make sure of it,” she tells him, giving him another kiss to the cheek before moving off in the direction of the resort.

Magnus turns and watches her go, before turning back to Simon and the cameraman. 

“I gotta admit, she was a positive start to this whole experience. If she’s an indication of the quality of people you have brought on, then this is going to be an agonising decision.”

Simon gives him a small chuckle under his breath as, listening to the voice in his earpiece, he advises him of the next arrival.

“Limo pulling up again in thirty seconds.”

Magnus raises both his eyebrows in amusement of the absurdity of the night, before turning back to the front of the path to once more see the limo pull up. 

As the door of the car opens up once more, Magnus watches as a tall man steps out. The man is tall, perhaps Magnus’s height of 6ft, and has a wide easy smile over his handsome face. He has a youthful appearance, though clear intelligence shines through his dark brown eyes as he draws closer to where Magnus waits.

“Hi there, my name’s Magnus,” he tells him with a smile, liking the friendly nature the man immediately gives out.

“Hi, Magnus,” he says, his smile growing ever wider, forming good-natured laugh lines to appear in the corners of his eyes.

“My name’s Lucas,” he tells him, holding a hand out for Magnus to shake, with a slight blush creeping over his face as Magnus takes his hand and pulls him in for a small kiss on the cheek.

“It’s great to meet you, Lucas. Tell me a little about yourself,” Magnus invites him, giving him a warm smile.

“Ah, I’m a college professor, teaching modern culture. I’m from Texas, I’m 30 years old, and I like sports and keeping active,” a flustered Lucas tells him.

“I’m not sure how much that counts as a little, but I like what I hear. I look forward to talking to you some more tonight,” Magnus tells him with a kind and friendly smile.

“That sounds great,” Lucas replies with another wide grin, before giving a small nod in Magnus’s direction and walking off up the path.

“Not bad,” Magnus says with a smile, turning back to Simon to share his observation.

“Glad you approve,” Simon tells him. 

“Next arrival, coming up.”

At this, Magnus’s smile turns to a confused frown.

“How in the world did they have time to turn around and pick up someone else already?”

“We have two limo’s making loops,” Simon tells him with a smirk. “As soon as one goes back, it picks up a new date and then waits around the corner till I give the all-clear.”

“Efficient,” Magnus tells him, impressed despite himself, before turning to face the next arrival.

This time a very slim and svelte brunette steps out of the limousine, a long dark-skinned leg emerging from the thigh-high split of an emerald green gown. The creative panelling of the sheer and form-fitting top, stopping any impropriety from occurring, while doing nothing to take away the bold sexiness of the gown.

The woman shows absolutely no nervousness as she walks toward Magnus, her lustrous brown waves falling loosely over one shoulder, exposing the diamonds falling from her exposed ear.

“Hi,” the woman tells him, her voice soft and breathy, while still holding a thread of grit to her voice, indicating she was no pushover.

“Hi there, I’m Magnus. Who might you be?” He asks, intrigued despite himself.

“I’m Silvana,” she tells him, holding a hand out for him to take, palm down, resulting in Magnus lifting her hand to press a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.

“It’s enchanting to meet you, Silvana. Tell me something about yourself that you think I should know,” he flirts, finding himself momentarily captured by the calm confidence of the younger woman.

Silvana gives him an enticing smile before looking down and considering her answer. Looking up at him from under her lashes, in what could only be a practised move, she answers him in that same soft and steely voice.

“I’m unforgettable,” she tells him, before moving off down the path without another word.

Magnus stares after her, his mouth hanging open slightly before he gives his head a small shake and regathers himself. Turning back to the front once again, he gives Simon another quick look, before commenting.

“Not sure if I could keep up with that one.”

“I’m not sure anyone could,” Simon says sardonically, before none too gently, closing the open mouth of Mark, with a hand to the chin, who was still gazing after Silvana.

“Next date arriving,” Simon tells them, as the cameraman quickly refocused.

Still chuckling under his breath at the reaction the woman had caused, Magnus looks up to the new arrival.

George, the lawyer, was the next to arrive. Magnus found his high cheekbones and slightly auburn hair to be quite delicious, or maybe that was his slight British accent, resulting from his move across the pond as a teenager. 

Lisa was the next to meet Magnus, a strong-featured and beautiful woman, with a page boy hair cut that set off her gorgeous bone structure perfectly. She seemed very straight-forward and displayed a dry sense of humour that Magnus loved.

Semi arrived soon after and quickly stood out amongst the others, being the only male so far, other than Magnus to be wearing make-up. His bleached blond hair, high cheekbones and slightly enhanced lips leading to Magnus guessing a theatrical background confirmed when he began telling Magnus about his independent film projects. Magnus found him to be an extremely engaging conversationalist, and indeed, he was the first date that had required the intervention of Simon in ending the conversation so that the next date could arrive.

Daniela, of Dani, as she tells him she prefers to be known, is the next to arrive. She immediately charms Magnus with her bright smile and long red hair, perfectly indicating the fiery attitude that Magnus could sense underneath her friendly demeanour.

After Dani, Simon checks in with him briefly to see how he is going, check if he needs a break.

“Are you kidding?” Magnus tells him with a laugh. 

“I have one gorgeous person after another arriving to flirt with me! This is my idea of a great time! If I had known how good this was, I would have said yes to Lily immediately, instead of hesitating for so long. Bring on the next date!” Magnus tells him, clapping and rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“Ok, then,” Simon says with a wide smile, “next arrival coming up.”

As Magnus sees the next date step out of the limo, he suddenly feels his heart stutter before it takes off racing within the confines of his chest.

“Oh, holy hell!” He mutters quietly to himself, before frantically trying to draw some moisture into his suddenly dry mouth.

Walking towards him was the absolute epitome of perfection. Tall and well built, with broad shoulders and a tapered waist, the man was obviously fit. The dark, tousled hair that looked like he’d just taken part in a heavy make-out session, coupled with the easy confidence of his stride as he made his way up the path, had Magnus suddenly wishing for a chair, unsure his legs would continue to hold him upright. All his life, he had entertained an intense weakness for dark hair and blue eyes, and now it was being presented in front of him in the most delicious of packages.

‘Please, don’t be Alec, please don’t be Alec,’ Magnus begged silently as the man continued to walk towards him, suddenly remembering the deal he had made with Lily. Until now, he had cheerfully let it slide from his mind, having too much fun and knowing that even if he was being made to send one home, there were plenty of other options here for him. However, now, as he saw the embodiment of everything he had ever desired walking towards him, he was unwilling to believe that this God of a man could be the same one he had promised to send home.

As the as-yet-unknown man drew closer, Magnus felt himself pulled further under the man’s spell. Eyes that would rival the most brilliant sapphire, crinkled at the corners, as his mouth curled up in a crooked smile of greeting, lips soft and luscious looking.

“Hi there,” the man said, his voice low and slightly husky.

“I’m Alec. It’s great to meet you.”

‘Oh, shit’ Magnus thinks to himself. ‘Finally, I meet the man of my dreams, and I’m expected to immediately send him away.’

However, he doesn’t say any of that out loud. Pushing aside the crushing disappointment that wanted to settle on him, he decides to simply enjoy whatever time he gets to have with Alec.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Alec,” he says, slipping both of his hands over the one that Alec held out to him. As he continued to hold it in a warm grip, rather than shaking and letting go, he became uncertain if he was doing it to flirt with the handsome man, or simply provide himself with a grounding point to rely upon.

“Tell me about yourself,” he continues, feeling uncharacteristically nervous with the slightly taller man, his nerves only amplified by the tingles racing up his arm at the continued contact of their hands.

“Hmm,” Alec answers, a soft and flirtatious smile settling on his face.

“Well, what do you want to know?” He asks enticingly.

“Everything,” Magnus exhales in a long breath before he can stop himself.

As the smile on Alec’s face turns up in pure enjoyment of the situation, he takes a step closer to Magnus, their joined hands now the only thing separating their bodies. As Magnus breaths in the distinctive and delectable scent drifting from the body pressed close, he forces himself to look up and meet Alec’s eyes, immediately becoming spellbound in the directness of his gaze.

“Well, time is short, so for now, how about I just share this,” he says before taking a pause. Magnus once more feels his breath stop and his heart race as he waits for the man’s next words, briefly panicking over whether he would be able to hear them over the thundering of his heart.

“I enjoy travelling, spending time with family and friends, and I adore new experiences.”

“New experiences, huh?” Magnus repeats softly, entirely mesmerised by Alec. 

He feels his heart come to a complete stop as Alec leans just that little bit closer, basically whispering in Magnus’s ear at this point.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, “I find the unpredictability of experiencing something new to be almost . . . Seductive,” he finishes.

Before Magnus can fully comprehend what is happening, Alec steps back, and raising their joined hands, places a kiss on the back of Magnus’s top hand. He then gently pulls his hand away and begins walking up the path, leaving a dazed Magnus staring after him. 

Feeling slightly disconnected from the situation, Magnus turns to Simon with a kind of befuddled look on his face.

“I might take that break now Sherwin,” Magnus tells him softly, before stumbling away a few steps.

“Sure thing, and it’s Simon,” he hears the assistant producer reply, amongst the roaring of his mind.

Magnus can’t resist the urge to replay the entire encounter over again as he comes to a halt a few metres away from where the other men stood. Alec had, by all reports, been angry about being pulled into all this, only agreeing to help his friend, and apparently securing the promise it would only be for this one night. Against his better judgement, Magnus had agreed to this, but now he couldn’t help but think that he had possibly made the worst mistake of his life in doing so. He knew it was ridiculous. He had spent only a couple of minutes with the dark-haired beauty, but Magnus couldn’t wrestle the possibility from his mind, that that was all he needed, to know that Alec had the potential to be someone important in his life.

“You ok, Magnus?” Simon asked as he came over, silently holding a bottle of water out for Magnus to take.

Looking over his shoulder and seeing the cameraman still some distance away, Magnus takes the bottle from Simon, and while trying to gather his thoughts together, attempts to answer him.

“So, that was Alec,” he begins, before taking a drink.

“Uh, yeah, that date’s name was Alec,” Simon rushes in to respond, silently indicating with his eyes the microphone pinned to Magnus’s lapel.

Remembering that for the next few months he had given away the right to privacy, Magnus heaved a deep sigh, before pulling on an outward facade of calm.

“I’m going to want to talk to him at the cocktail party,” Magnus responds curtly before briskly striding back onto the path to await the next date.

“Yeah, sure,” Simon answers, a confused frown on his face, following along behind Magnus, before speaking into his headpiece.

“Bring up the next date.”

The rest of the meet & greets pass by in a blur for Magnus. Only his familiarity in new social situations and meeting new people allowed him to take in anything from his remaining dates. He has no idea what impression he is leaving them with, as he reverts back to his superficial charm and typical flirtations without putting any feeling or personalisation behind it. 

With Alec still occupying the majority of his thoughts, Magnus meets;

* Rebecca - a petite vet nurse, with a charming smile and warm brown eyes.

* Corey - a slightly awkward mechanic who was quite clearly out of his comfort zone being on the show.

* Felicity - an elegant brunette who worked as a model, and was extremely secure in her appeal to the masses.

* Jordan - A loud and gregarious large animal vet, with a big personality and a booming laugh.

* Leia - an elfin like figure, all sinewy and filled with grace, who informs Magnus that she is a medical student with plans to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

* Harley - A shorter man, with a phenomenal sense of humour, leaving Magnus unsurprised to hear he was a professional comedian.

* Brianna - A bright, bubbly blonde, who sang him a serenade on arrival, that drew Magnus out of his haze for a brief moment before the blue of her dress reminded him of Alexander’s eyes, and he was lost once more.

* John - A stockbroker who made a strong effort to charm Magnus with his devil-may-care attitude, and an easy smile. On the plus side, he seemed to take no offence when his charm failed to take effect.

As more and more dates presented themselves after Alec, Magnus was able to bring himself back to the present slightly. He forced himself to focus and give the proper attention to these people who had come to spend time with him, as it was the least that they deserved. It didn’t mean that Alec was far from his thoughts, on the contrary; he saw something in every date that followed that reminded him of the tall man, but he refused to let him dominate his thoughts.

Samantha or Sam, followed after John, drawing out all of Magnus’s protective instincts, as she stammered out her introduction. Her apparent shyness and sweetness drawing Magnus out of himself slightly. He shared a gentle hug and a warm smile with her before she walked away. Magnus found he wanted to shield her throughout this experience and made a vow to himself to seek her out later that night.

Charnze was like a big excited puppy dog. He came bounding up the path, obviously excited to be here, and he had such a sweet and open personality that Magnus was immediately charmed. He had beautiful brown eyes that were perfectly framed in some dark rim glasses. Magnus was unsurprised to find that Charnze was a professional football player, from the wide frame of his shoulders, and was delighted to find Charnze was ok with the fact that Magnus knew absolutely nothing about the sport.

Jennifer or Jenni, immediately charmed Magnus arriving in a gown of one of his favourite up-and-coming designers and draped in Trueblood Jewels, a jeweller that Magnus was utterly obsessed with, and currently wearing three pieces of himself. They immediately recognised each other as fellow fashionista’s and Magnus knew the petite and passionate beauty was someone he would enjoy spending more time with.

Josh arrived polite and quiet, kindness and strength just rolling off of him, and reminding Magnus of Alec in the quiet confidence each man had in himself, not feeling the need to prove themselves to anyone, a trait Magnus thoroughly envied.

Janet arrived in a gorgeous white gown, perfectly setting off her golden skin, her wide smile and Spanish accent captivating Magnus quite completely. Magnus couldn’t help himself, however, as while talking to the beauty, he began wondering if Alexander also shared a Spanish heritage, her features reminding him of Alec’s slightly, despite the tall man’s luminescent pale skin.

Tom was the next to arrive, a paediatrician that immediately confessed to being a little out of his comfort zone. Magnus smiled at the man’s tendency to duck his head down, a trait Magnus found common amongst taller men (he couldn’t help but wonder if Alexander did it too). When Tom did it, his shoulder-length hair fell down over his face, in a shaggy, yet adorable way. Magnus found himself wanting to spend a little more time with the soft-spoken man, ignoring the small niggling feeling at the back of his brain that kept telling him that now he’d found Alec, he did not need to spend time with anyone else.

Kim was the last female to arrive, looking absolutely stunning in a black lace gown, with much of her hair pulled away from her face, leaving a few odd strands framing her strong features. She, more than anyone else, reminded Magnus of himself, recognising the strong and outgoing personality, that had been built up through trial and hardship. He was intrigued to know more of her story, and for the second time that night, Simon needed to intervene to cut the introduction short. Magnus gave her another kiss on the cheek and promised to come and find her at the party to continue their conversation, causing Kim to give him a bright smile and a flirty wink, before walking away.

As Magnus turned to face the last date, he found himself more than ready to have the night to be over. His previous excitement of this new adventure had continued to leak slowly out of him after meeting Alexander. He’d never have admitted it, but the closer this adventure had come, the more Magnus had begun to think about the possibility that he might actually find true love on this show. It was a long shot, but, hey! Wasn’t that the entire reason for the show in the first place? 

In spite of his best intentions, he had begun to entertain the fantasy of falling in love and meeting that special someone, being able to walk away from this experience with the love of his life. 

Despite those fantasies though, he’d never actually believed it would happen. Nor did he ever entertain the possibility that he would meet somebody like Alec, become immediately captivated by him, and then have to say goodbye to him on the same night. 

Now, he wasn’t sure if it was something he’d actually be able to do.

“Last car arriving,” Simon said gently. 

“You doing ok, Magnus?” He enquired, exchanging a worried look with Mark.

“Yeah, I’m good, let’s finish this up and get to that party so I can get my hand on some alcohol,” Magnus replies, turning to face the front of the path one more time.

Magnus watches with little interest as yet another gorgeous man stepped out of the limousine.

Knowing he just has to get through this one last date, before he can step away from the camera for a little bit, Magnus pastes a smile on his face, holding his hand out as the man approaches.

“Hi, I’m Magnus. It’s wonderful to meet you,” he says automatically, having found a kind of rhythm to the whole thing by this point. 

“It’s great to meet you, Magnus. My name’s Jarrod.”

Magnus feels his interest pique slightly when he takes in the beautiful smile Jarrod is sending his way, as he grasps Magnus’s hand within both of his, much as Magnus had earlier with Alexander. As the dark beauty threatened to retake hold of his thoughts, Magnus quickly pushed them away and let his own smile brighten in response to Jarrod’s clear interest.

As Jarrod begins to tell him a little about his career as a political correspondent, Magnus takes a moment to admire the man’s clearly fit physique and the graceful features on his face that closely mirror Magnus’s own Asian features.

‘Maybe this is the love of my life,’ Magnus thinks to himself as he lets Jarrod talk. ‘It would be irresponsible to write off everyone else, who actually came here wanting to meet someone, for the sake of obsessing over the only one who truly didn’t care,’ he continues telling himself, at this point having no idea what Jarrod is telling him. Coming to an internal decision, Magnus accepts the kiss on the cheek Jarrod offers him and promises to find him later at the party, before turning to Simon once the man walks away.

“I don’t think I’ll have time to talk to Alec tonight at the party after all,” Magnus tells him hastily.

“There are much too many other wonderful options for me to consider,” he says with a bright smile, before turning smartly and following after Jarrod up the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, there are some hard and fast rules and methods that I have found about ‘The Bachelor’ while doing my research, that I will not be including in my story, as while they might make it more authentic, it simply doesn’t work for the needs of the story. I will try and alert you all to these ahead of time, for all those fans of the shows, but in case I miss some, I apologise now.  
> Some I can give you a heads up on now, is that there will be reduced ‘helpers’ for the dates and bachelor, as otherwise there are too many characters to write for. Also, people will be able to eat on dates, the dates will have air-conditioning, books and music within the resort, which apparently they are not allowed. I am adding them, because otherwise it just seems cruel.  
> Also, I am having them all stay in a resort in their own private rooms (Magnus is in his own private house), so none of the dates are sharing a room.  
> If you are liking the story so far, please leave a comment and/or a kudo, as they make my day.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Leia  
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet  
> Corey   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim  
> Jordan   
> Jarrod


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first cocktail party and rose ceremony  
> 24 Dates.  
> Which two will Magnus send home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a few heads up for this and future chapters;  
> I am absolutely changing a few things about the way the show occurs. Firstly, in real life there are a lot more cameras/crew members and assistant producers/aides wandering around to make the show work. Seeing that I am writing this though and not filming, I do not need these people, and it’s just too hard to keep track of all those extra characters when there are already so many there as it is. So for the sake of clarity, there are only a few producers, and crew members talked about.  
> The second thing is that The Bachelor, from my understanding, usually takes place in Malibu and all the dates/contestants typically live in a 6 or 8 bedroom house together. I assume bunking up until the numbers dwindle down. I don’t want to write that though or the drama that could entail, so for that reason, and the reason of needing the show located somewhat close to Alec’s home town (for reasons you will find next chapter), I will have the show take place in The Hampton’s where I have made up a resort that is mix house and exclusive hotel (I beg you all, just go with it 😉🙏😉). All the contestants/dates will have their own rooms, but will still be doing their own cleaning and cooking (which apparently the real people do!). I haven’t decided if I will be writing these moments in or not yet, but I have a few cheeky ideas playing around for it that I might use in the future.  
> There are a few other things that will be different but not all that important. Dates are allowed to eat on camera because let’s face it, we can’t hear the sounds, so it’s all good. For the same reason, they get air conditioning, as it’s not going to affect the tv sound in any way.  
> If there are any other changes you need to know about, I will try to let you know at the beginning of each chapter. Also, for all those reading who watch the show, if there is something you see that is entirely wrong or not sitting well with you, please feel free to let me know (nicely please). That goes for everyone else too.  
> I am also open to anyone suggesting dates or scenarios they want to see, though I don’t promise to use them all, I will if I can make it work within the story and it’s in my capacity to write it, so let me know!  
> Otherwise, please enjoy!  
> FYI - Complete list of dates is in the end notes.

**Earlier that evening;** ****

“Alec, you’ll be leaving in the limo after Dani,” Maia tells him with a hurried smile, indicating a redhead in a green dress, who was currently waiting for the next limo to arrive.

“As soon as you see Dani step into the car, I ask that you make your way over to the door, where your car will arrive. Now Jonathon will be in the car with you as I mentioned earlier, and he’ll lead you in a few simple questions about how you’re feeling as you make your way to the greeting garden —“

“Greeting garden? Really?” Alec interrupts.

Maia gives him a tight smile before acknowledging the name with a grimace.

“I didn’t name it. Anyhow, Jonathon will lead you in a few questions, and then you will exit the car, and walk up the path to where the Bachelor awaits. Please remember to keep it to two minutes, before moving further up the path and into the reception area where Lily and another team will be waiting for you. Any questions?” Maia asks patience in her voice right alongside her apparent wish to move on.

“Sounds simple enough,” Alec assures her, “I’m all good, thanks.”

“Wonderful!” Maia exclaims, before quickly looking over to the side.

“Looks like Dani is heading off now,” she says, drawing Alec’s attention to where Dani is currently climbing into a car.

“If you want to make your way over, your car should be arriving in a couple of minutes,” Maia tells him quickly before looking back down at her clipboard.

“Rebecca!” She calls out, before hurriedly making her way over to a petite brunette who raised her hand in response to Maia’s call.

Sighing, and wondering once again, how Lily managed to talk him into this, Alec slowly makes his way over to the glass doors, with the circular driveway, just outside.

As he waits for his car to arrive, his mind drifts off to the book he is currently drafting, mentally listing all the stories he’d gathered, wondering if there were any last trips he would need to take before finishing it up.

Before he knew it, his car was pulling up, and Jonathon was sticking his head out the door.

“Alec, step on in,” Jonathon said welcomingly, moving back to the seat behind the driver so that Alec could climb in.

“Don’t forget your seatbelt,” Jonathon told him with a smile.

“Here on The Bachelor, we ‘Buckle Up.’”

Looking at the camera pointed directly at him, Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes and did as he was asked, for the trip a few minutes up the road. Upon hearing the ‘click’, Jonathon reached up and knocked on the partition behind him.

“So, Alec, we’re just going to get a few quotes from you on the car ride over,” Jonathon began telling him as the car started moving.

“Don’t worry if we run out of time. I’ll simply find some time to pull you out at the cocktail party to reset the scene.”

“So, what are you looking forward to most about meeting the Bachelor tonight?” Jonathon asked, trying to smother a smile at Alec’s obvious annoyance at this whole situation.

_This one’s going to be fun,_ Jonathon thought to himself _. Or a whole lot of trouble._

Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible, Alec cast about for something to say, eager not to spend any more time on this ridiculous scenario than he needed to.

“I guess I’m looking forward to seeing if he could be my one true love,” Alec responded, deciding to play this for all it was worth.

“Is that something you’ve been looking for for a long time?” Jonathon asked him, glancing up briefly from the handheld monitor that showed him what the camera was capturing.

“No, not really,” Alec answered.

Before Jonathon had time to ask anything else though, Alec kept speaking, words spilling from his mouth in a strange stream of consciousness.

“I mean, yeah, maybe, I don’t know. I’ve spent the last few years building up my career, and I think in doing that, I’ve kind of pushed everyone away. My friends and family call me a grumpy bastard, and I think now, I’m starting to worry that it’s become a permanent part of my character, leaving me unable to make any kind of real connection with anyone.”

Alec drifted off, forgetting for a moment about the camera and the two men directly in front of him.

It was the first time he had admitted to himself that he was scared he’d always be alone. He knew 28 was kind of an early age to worry about getting too old for love, but he was finding that the more time went on and the more time that he spent alone, the more he found it difficult to make himself vulnerable.

He took lots of risks in his work, taking himself to different places all over the world, and meeting all different kinds of people. His life had been in danger more times than he would ever be comfortable admitting to his family. But, he never risked himself, not really. He never allowed himself to be vulnerable to anyone, only ever relying on himself.

His one and only relationship had been in college, and he had simply fallen into that, agreeing to a date with a good looking blond named Andrew at the start of their last year, not wanting to leave college having never had a boyfriend. They had stayed together for the entire year, enjoying a warm and caring relationship that held just enough sparks for their sex life to be satisfying, yet not exciting. When graduation had come, they had mutually decided to part as friends, and now were nothing more than Facebook buddies.

Since then, Alec had enjoyed a variety of short-lived and then even shorter-lived affairs during his travels, staying with no one long enough to find any kind of real connection.

Coming back from his internal musing, Alec lets his eyes drift up, his whole body suddenly becoming rooted to his seat as he remembered that he was not alone. In fact, he had just revealed some rather personal fears to the camera, and as such, the whole damn world.

“Ok!, Alec, that’s great! Really nice sharing, exactly what draws the fans to you!” Jonathon told him happily.

“Great,” Alec replies, an unhappy smile on his face.

At that moment, the car comes to a stop and Alec looks out the window, his eyes catching the vague silhouette of a tall man through the leaves of the trees lining the path he was about to walk.

He turns his focus back to the two men in the car when Jonathon begins speaking, his hand resting gently on Alec’s, which had reached out to the door handle.

“Alec, can I offer you a piece of advice?”

“Sure.”

“You get out of this, what you put into it. That guy out there, he’s here because he’s looking to make a connection with someone. Hiding yourself away, as safe as it makes you feel, is not going to find you walking away with that special someone. You’re going to have to put yourself out there,” the producer says, an understanding smile on his face.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable from the knowing look in the man’s eyes, Alec nods shakily in response.

“Good,” Jonathon continues. “Now go out there and make an impression! Flirt a little and make him remember you.”

This time a genuine smile comes over Alec’s face at the man’s encouragement. Stepping out of the car, Alec resolves that he will treat this like he treats every new experience in his life that he knows won’t last forever. He’ll go at it 100%, giving it everything he has. He may be going home tonight, but he’ll make sure he’s memorable, just as advised.

Fastening the button on his jacket, he begins striding up the path, finally able to gain a good look at the man waiting halfway up the path. The closer he gets, the more he has to resist quickening his pace. The man, ‘The Bachelor’ is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Alec feels his mouth start to water and the excitement of a new thrill moving through his body as he takes in the lean figure standing before him. Dressed to impressed, the man’s midnight blue jacket displayed a delicate marble effect that reflected a kaleidoscope of colours in the glow of the garden lights. In contrast, his tailored blue pants seemed almost tame by comparison, if you took away the fact that they hung perfectly on him to hint at every muscle twitching underneath.

And all that was before you even got to the man’s face. Alec was no expert on make-up, but even he could see the skill that had gone into creating the dramatic look the man wore, including the faux-hawk hairstyle with the soft undercut, the ends tipped a kind of electric blue.

Finally finding himself in front of the man, Alec finds himself desperate to make an impression, not to let this moment go by quietly. Holding his hand out for the man, he finds himself eager to make contact, wanting to know if his skin would be as soft and warm as he imagined.

“Hi there, I’m Alec. It’s great to meet you,” he says, smiling down at the man, unable to look away from the gold and green flecks he can now see within the chocolate brown of his eyes.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Alec,” the gorgeous man says, grasping Alec’s single hand within both of his. Alec waits with breathless anticipation for the man to reveal his name, eager to see if it’s as unique as the man himself. He finds himself greatly amused, however, when the man with the gorgeous Asian features, moved straight past his introduction and invited Alec to talk more about himself.

“Tell me about yourself,” he says, obviously slightly flustered.

“Hmm,” Alec says in response, wondering just how far he wanted to push this, unwilling to admit to himself just how much he was enjoying this experience. Hoping to get a hint from the man in front of him as to how far Alec could take this, Alec asks one last question.

“Well, what do you want to know?” He asks suggestively, his smile only widening at the man’s response.

“Everything,” the Bachelor breathes out, seemingly as caught up in the moment as Alec is.

No longer in control of himself, Alec takes a step closer, bringing his body up close to the other, trapping their hands between them.

“Well,” he begins softly, “time is short, so for now how about I just share this; I enjoy travelling, spending time with family and friends, and I adore new experiences,” he tells him, ensuring to lock eyes with the slightly shorter man as he says that last.

“New experiences, huh?” The man enquires softly.

Alec leans in close to deliver his next response, bringing his mouth up to the man’s ear, and letting his breath tease as much as his words.

“Yeah. I find the unpredictability of experiencing something new to be almost, seductive,” he finishes, emphasising the last word slightly. Alec bites back the smile he can feel breaking over his face, as the man shivers in response. Not giving him a chance to recover, Alec steps back and catching the man’s eyes once more, drops a kiss to their raised hands and walks away.

Maybe he had walked into this a grumpy bastard, as Lily and Clary had both accused him of, but he couldn’t deny that those couple of minutes with the still-unnamed Bachelor, was the most fun he had had in years.

However, as he steps into the resort where the rest of the dates will be living, and he will be spending most of his night, he begins to doubt himself once more.

The reception area where this and future cocktail parties will be taking place is as beautiful as he would have expected of a resort in the Hampton’s. His arrival from the pathway has brought him into one of the shorter ends of the large rectangular room, laying the entire cocktail area before him.

Two beautiful redwood staircases graced the room, one to his immediate right, and one at the far end. At the top of the stairs, an elegant balcony walkway connects the two, creating a beautiful observational area, in which to overlook the space below.

The lower level, held a variety of small seating areas along the cream painted wall that ran the length of the room between the two staircases, artfully positioned to direct the attention to the folding glass doors that led to the outdoor patio. Through the glass doors, he could see a beautiful rock-lined pool, surrounded by tables and chairs with thatched umbrella’s over them, and dozens of thriving and gorgeous plants.

Back inside, Stunning chandelier’s hang above them, spaced evenly across the room, accompanied by soft lighting from exquisite stained glass table lamps, at various points around the room.

In front of him, he finds a little over a dozen people, a mix of other dates and crew members. He’s just wondering where he can get the first of one of his two drinks when one of the other dates approaches him.

“Hi, how are you?” The young man says, holding his hand out for Alec to shake.

“Good, thanks, how are you? I’m Alec by the way,” he tells the man, shaking his hand and sharing a quick smile.

“I’m good, thanks!” The man says eagerly. “My names Semi, it’s great to meet you.”

“You too,” Alec replies, before looking around a little.

“So, do you know what we are supposed to be doing now?” Alec asks him, “or where we can get a drink?”

“Uh, well they seem to be doing the drinks over in that corner,” Semi says pointing over to a bar under the staircase at the furthest end, where a woman waits in a smart bartenders outfit.

“I don’t know if they’re serving yet though,” Semi continues. “I think they just want us to mingle a little while they wait for everyone to arrive before they give us some last-minute instructions, and Magnus arrives.”

“Magnus?” Alec enquires.

“Yeah, the Bachelor? You just met him?” Semi prompts with a smile.

Enjoying the easy manner of the younger man next to him, Alec shares a chuckle with him as he confesses.

“Actually, he never gave me his name. I think I may have flustered him slightly.”

“Oh, really?” Semi asks good-naturedly. “You must have done well then. I confess, with me, I think it was the other way around. Magnus was just absolutely amazing! So sweet and kind,”

“He did seem like a great guy,” Alec admits, his mind immediately drifting back to the man he’d just left behind. Wanting to quickly change the subject, he turns his focus back to Semi.

“So, what about you? What made you decide to do this?” He asks him.

“Oh, I’m an old romantic at heart,” Semi tells him with a self-deprecating smile, before continuing.

“I’ve fallen in and out of so many relationships where I was the only one invested, that when the opportunity came up to audition for this, I thought, why not? Why not go somewhere where there is someone specifically here looking for true love,” Semi finished.

“What about you? Why did you audition?”

Frantically casting about for a reason that he would have auditioned for this, he ended up giving Semi the same answer he gave Magnus.

“I like trying new experiences.”

Enjoying talking to Semi, Alec let himself get lost in the easy conversation the man provided, while he waited to find out what he next had to do to get out of this ‘experience.’

Magnus strode along the path towards the resort, trying to outrun his memory of Alec, and move metaphorically and literally towards his future. For this purpose, he conveniently ignored the fact that Alec would be in the same room that he was rushing to join, choosing instead to focus on the other 23 possibilities of love that were waiting.

As Simon caught up with him, he allowed the producer to lead him to a small room to the side of the reception area before they entered the cocktail party. As Magnus entered the small office, he saw another room off to its side with the raised platforms he recognised from the few rose ceremonies he had seen on TV.

Obviously, this is where he would be sending Alec home at the end of the night.

Shaking his head at his inability to remove the man from his thoughts, Magnus once again tried to redirect his thoughts as he saw Lily and another tall and handsome man walk into the room to join Simon and himself.

“Hi Magnus, how did your introductions go?” She asks with a bright smile.

“Wonderful, thank you, dear. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people tonight. I look forward to getting to know them all more.”

“Fantastic!” She tells him, before quickly moving on.

“So just quickly, I wanted to introduce you to Michael, our resident host here on The Bachelor,” she said, gesturing to the man at her side.

“Nice to meet you, Magnus. Sorry, we haven’t had a chance to meet until now. I, unfortunately, got held up and just flew into New York this afternoon.”

“Well, you’re here now, that’s all that matters,” Magnus says with a smile as he shakes Michaels’s hand.

“Michael is going to introduce you before every cocktail party, and he’ll then introduce and stay with you through your rose ceremonies,” Lily tells him with a smile.

“I also come out and accompany your group dates,” the man says, speaking up himself. From about mid-point, I’ll be present at your single dates too, or at least the beginning of them. For the most part, simply exposition for the audience, I won’t interfere on any of your dates, unless you specifically request me to,” Michael tells him.

“Why would I want you to interfere on my dates?” Magnus asks bewildered.

“It rarely happens, but when it does, it’s usually because someone’s become too handsy or abusive,” Michael explains.

“Abusive?” Magnus enquires, his attention 100% focused on the person in front of him for the first time since he and Alec parted.

“It rarely happens,” Michael reassures him, “but an example might be at the end of a single date, were as you know, if you don’t give your date a rose, they get sent home. Well, not everyone takes that well. Or later in an elimination date, where you take two people out, but only one gets to come back, that sort of thing.”

“So you’re my bouncer?” Magnus asks with a skeptic look.

“More your public relations officer, stepping in to smooth things over,” Michael explains with an amused smile.

“Got it,” Magnus smiles back.

“Ok,” Lily says, drawing Magnus’s attention back to her, “now comes the more fun and relaxed part of the night, the cocktail party. Now, there are not a lot of rules for this part of the night, but there are some. So there are only two drinks per person for every cocktail party, and this applies for you as well as the dates. This isn’t the situation where you want to get drunk and display it to the world.”

Magnus smiled in response to this, remembering a few antics he had gotten up to when he had a one too many.

“That is probably very wise advice, my dear.”

Nodding and smiling in agreement, Lily quickly continues.

“So feel free tonight to wander freely around the groups, and talk to everyone. Try and make sure you do get around to everyone, just to keep things fair. As you get ready to move on to the next group, just give Simon a quick heads up, and he will make sure the cameras are set up and ready to go. This goes for any private chats you want to have with any of the dates too.

Speaking of camera’s, remember that you will have camera’s and microphones on you at all times, so try to keep it to stuff that you are happy for the whole world to know.”

“Yes, Simon reminded me of that earlier,” Magnus said frowning as once again Alec was brought to the forefront of his mind, having been the main reason that Simon had reminded him.

“Right,” Lily answered with a frown of her own.

“Well, that’s pretty much it. Now there will be quite a few more cameras around this time, as they try to capture everything. Some of them will stay will you, some of them will stay with the dates not currently around you, and others are going to be set up ahead of time in that small alcove you walked past outside, ready for your private chats.”

“What small alcove?” Magnus questioned, not remembering walking past any alcove area, his head having been somewhere else as he had walked up.

“I’ll show you again before we head inside,” Simon reassured him.

Smiling in thanks, Magnus looked back at Lily.

“Anything else?” He asked, eager to get into the cocktail party, where he could distract himself talking to all those beautiful people he had just met, once more conveniently ignoring the fact that Alec would be in there.

“That’s it,” Lily tells him with a smile.

“Go and enjoy yourself.”

“I certainly plan on it,” Magnus mumbled under his breath, as he turned to follow Simon back out the door.

While Simon showed Magnus the alcove outside with a beautiful lounge, and coffee table, he went through how the private chats usually operated, as Michael slipped into the cocktail party to begin introducing Magnus.

A minute later, Magnus steps in as Michael finishes his introduction, and begins saying a few words of his own.

“So I just wanted to take a moment, to thank you all for coming. Having met all of you now, I’m looking forward to this journey we are all about to embark upon together, and I predict we are going to have a wonderful time,” he tells them.

He studiously tries to avoid making eye contact with the blue-eyed, dark-haired beauty, having seen him the moment he had walked in.

I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about coming on the show. I wasn’t sure I truly believed it was possible to find love on tv, but stranger things have happened, and having met you all, I now absolutely believe it’s possible. Especially knowing that each and every one of you have also come here with the sole purpose of finding love.”

At this statement, Magnus can’t resist letting his eyes drift over to Alec, wanting to make a point, albeit a silent one, that Alec was the one person for who this wasn’t true. He finds himself momentarily transfixed, however, when he sees the other man briefly look down to the ground, an expression of what could only be called sadness washing over his face.

Not wanting to analyse the feelings that look brought about in Magnus, he quickly looked away and finished his speech, wanting a moment out of the focus of everyone for just a second.

“And so with that, everyone have a great time tonight, and I look forward to getting to know you all a little more.”

As everyone began applauding, Magnus quickly stepped down from the small portable platform that had been erected, he was guessing precisely for those moments that had just passed. Looking around, he quickly saw Simon whisper something to Lily before stepping over to Magnus.

“Why don’t we step back into the back room again for a quick second and you can give me a bit of a heads up on where you are with the private chats and who you want to talk to?” Simon tells him, a hand hovering near his back but not actually touching, a fact Magnus was extremely grateful for, in addition to the escape the man was providing.

Alec watched as Magnus stepped down from the platform before being led away by Simon to another room.

He couldn’t help but feel guilt wash over him as he thought again about Magnus’s words. He was the one person here who hadn’t come with pure intentions. Ok, some of these people had probably come to gain their 15 minutes of fame, rather than find love, though, having met Magnus, he was sure they were now reconsidering their motivations. Even if those 15 minutes were still their primary goal though, this was a tv show, so it probably still counted as a pure intention for the purposes of this.

He was different, though. He had come here with no intention of finding love or fame, merely doing a favour for a friend, and reluctantly at that. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt like he’d done something wrong here. He hadn’t done any of this maliciously. On the contrary, him stepping in like this, allowed this whole thing to continue, giving Magnus the opportunity to find love. Really he should be thanking him.

So why did he feel so guilty? And why did he suddenly wish he wasn’t going home tonight?

He looked up as Magnus walked back in the room, walking blindly in his direction, led by Simon, before looking up and catching his eye. Magnus immediately came to a halt in his movement before veering off in a completely new direction. What was it about this man that had caught Alec’s attention like this?

He’d fallen into lust before, absolutely. Caught the eye of a stranger across the bar, and felt that immediate attraction, knowing the two of them were about to engage in a fun game of tease and response, before ending the night together, typically to separate again in the morning.

So what was different this time? Because he couldn’t deny it was. Even if he’d met Magnus in a manner similar to his usual romantic entanglements, he had a good idea that he would not find it easy to walk away in the morning. Something about Magnus was different.

Magnus is having a fabulous time at this cocktail party. Everywhere he goes, people are clamouring for his attention, flirting with him, and looking at him like he is a gift from the angels themselves. Such as this group in front of him now. For the past two hours, he has been making his way around the room talking to people, making connections and asking the occasional special person for a private chat.

Having talked with Simon, they had figured out that he would spend a half-hour or more talking to the group at large before beginning the private chats. The idea was that he would take someone aside for a few minutes, before the two of them would rejoin the masses, allowing the cameras time to move. Once the camera’s were in place, Magnus would make his way over to a new group and ask the next date for a private moment.

Once he had enjoyed all the chats he wanted, he could then spend some more time circulating within the room, before heading into the rose ceremony.

So far he had enjoyed a chat with;

The exquisite Camille, learning more about the brother she adored, as well as learning that she had taken part in a few minor modelling and acting jobs.

Sam, who was as sweet and gentle as Magnus’s first impression suggested. He had learned she was a survivor of breast cancer and now worked with the cancer foundation helping others who had gone through the same thing. Magnus found himself more protective of her than ever.

Jenni, a true fashionista that if Magnus didn’t fall in love with, he definitely wanted to go on a shopping spree with. He’d found out she was a bit of a financial mini-shark, having used some money her parents had left her to invest in her friend’s start-up business. After making a good profit in it, she had decided to keep investing in small start-ups, showing good judgement in her choices so far, though she admitted to a few misses too, displaying a modesty trait that Magnus admired.

Tom, a quietly funny, and sweet paediatrician at a local family clinic, in his home town of Madison, Wisconsin. He lit up when he was talking about his patients, causing Magnus’s mind to slide easily to images of sitting down at a dinner table with a bunch of kids, holding his husband’s hand over the table as they watched their children make a mess of their food. It was no one’s business but his own if the image of his husband would shift from the gentle image of Tom to that of a man with slightly shorter-hair and blue eyes that seemed to promise forever in them.

He had also spent some time with Kim, who Magnus was almost ready to run away with now. She reminded him a lot of his friend Caterina back home; full of a big, brash personality, that was used to cover an absolute heart of gold. She worked as a horse trainer down in Kentucky, from all accounts a family profession she says she was destined to be a part of. The smile she had talking about working with her family, reassuring Magnus that even if it was a family business she had no regrets joining it.

Now, Magnus was looking for one last private chat before moving into the rose ceremony.

In front of him, was Lucas, Harley, Felicity, Lisa, George and Semi, and all of them were focused directly on him. Magnus was barely aware of Alexander standing a little ways behind him, talking to some of the others. Charnze and Josh, Magnus thought they were called. He absolutely was paying no attention to the deep timbre of Alec’s laugh in response to something one of the men had said.

Seeing Simon give him a nod from behind the camera, Magnus turns to Semi standing behind him and asks if he would like to step outside for a private chat.

“Uh, yeah! Absolutely!” The man says, a light blush falling over his cheeks as he looks up at Magnus with adoring eyes.

Smiling in return, Magnus takes the man’s hand and leads him out to the alcove, determinedly not looking in the direction of Alexander as he walks past.

As he and Semi settle into the alcove seat outside, they angle their bodies slightly, so that even though they are sitting next to each other, they are still facing each other. Magnus gives a soft smile to the obviously smitten man sitting next to him, wanting to help him relax.

“So, I wanted an opportunity to talk to you a little more, since we got cut short at our introduction earlier,” Magnus begins.

“Yeah, I tend to talk a lot, I know. It’s one of my downfalls,” Semi tells himself somewhat apologetically.

“Oh, don’t be silly darling,” Magnus says in response, laying a hand gently on his arm. “I loved chatting with you out there.”

“You did?”

“Of course, that’s why I wanted to do it again,”

For the next few minutes, Magnus lets himself relax and enjoy the company of the man in front of him. He lets Semi ramble freely about his work, something he was clearly passionate about, asking questions when appropriate about how he got the funding for his projects and how he went about leading a relatively large group of people in completing it.

In turn, Semi asks Magnus about Pandemonium, and what made him want to run a nightclub. They shared some fantastic laughs about the different characters both of them came across in the course of their work.

Once more, Magnus found time running away from him, and he had been with Semi nearly 15 minutes when Simon began indicating that time was up from behind the camera.

Giving an almost imperceptible nod in response, Magnus turns to Semi, while simultaneously reaching back over the arm of the couch behind him. Giving the man a nervous smile of anticipation, Magnus brings a rose around in front of him.

“Semi, I have loved talking to you tonight, and I definitely want to spend some more time with you and get to know you better. So, for that reason, I was hoping you’d accept this rose right now?”

Magnus can’t help but grin in response to the bright smile that has broken out across Semi’s face at his words and the rose being held out in front of him.

“Oh my god! Really! Yes, absolutely! Thank you so much!”

“You are so very welcome,” Magnus tells him, pining the rose to the lapel of his lime green blazer.

Watching as the man looks down in happiness at the rose on his jacket, Magnus feels himself freeze up at the words that then fall from the man’s mouth.

“I totally thought if you were giving a rose away at the party tonight, it was absolutely going to Alec.”

“What, why? Why would you say that? I don’t think I’ve even spoken to him tonight since I met him out at the garden,” Magnus scrambles.

“Well, yeah, I saw that,” Semi says in response, giving the man a sly grin in response.

“You may not have talked to him tonight, but you’ve definitely looked at him, and watched him. And hey! I don’t blame you,” he tells Magnus hastily. “I mean, Alec is great! I was talking to him earlier when we were waiting for everyone to arrive and he is really nice. Plus,” he continues, “he looks like, you know, that! I completely understand you getting so flustered looking at him, that you forgot to tell him your name.”

Feeling somewhat exposed, it takes Magnus a brief second to catch on to that last comment.

“What do you mean, forgot to tell him my name?”

“Oh, he told me, you never told him your name at the greeting garden earlier. I had to give it to him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But I mean, it’s ok. He seemed to think it was sweet,” Semi tells him.

“Great,” Magnus tells him with a distracted smile, his focus completely on his encounter with Alec earlier, wondering if he could have left a more embarrassing impression of himself with the blue-eyed beauty than he did.

“I didn’t just lose my rose, did I?” Semi asked worriedly.

Lifting his eyes back to the lovely man in front of him, Magnus chuckles softly and gives him a reassuring smile.

“No, of course not. It absolutely belongs to you. Wear it with pride.”

“I will,” he answers with an adorable smile.

As the two of them rise and walk back into the party, Simon quietly asks if there is anyone else he wants to talk with.

Magnus considers it for a brief moment, before gently shaking his head and giving Simon a small smile.

“No, let’s just get ready for the rose ceremony, if you don’t mind. I’m kinda ready for this night to finish up.”

“I hear you,” Simon answers with an understanding smile.

As the producer begins to step away, though, Magnus gives in to the need he can’t let go of.

“Wait, Simon!”

Seeing the man turn around and raise his eyebrow in question, Magnus hesitates for a second before continuing.

“I don’t necessarily want to take him out for a private chat, but I just want to pull Alec away for a brief moment if that’s alright.”

Pausing for a beat before answering, Simon eventually nods, before stepping back in and leaning close to Magnus.

“You know I can’t keep it off the record though right? I can’t keep it off the cameras,” Simon tells him under his breath after reaching out and quietly placing his hand around Magnus’s mini-microphone, pinned to his jacket.

“Yeah, I know,” Magnus responds with a reassuring smile.

“I just need to clear something up.”

“Sure, ok. Give us a minute.”

A few minutes later, Magnus approaches the small group that Alec is a part of, giving everyone a warm smile, before placing his hand on Alec’s arm lightly.

“Do you mind if I just borrow you for a quick second?” He asks, deliberately nodding his head away from the direction on the alcove where he had taken everyone else, instead, indicating a quiet area on the outskirts of the group where a quick, quiet conversation could be had between the two.

A brief expression of surprise comes over Alec’s face before he nods silently and after indicating that Magnus should go first, he turns and follows Magnus. 

Reaching an empty space, Magnus turns around and looks up at Alec, feeling his pulse take off as he immediately finds those gorgeous eyes locked onto his.

Desperately trying to shake off his nerves, Magnus lets out a breath before nervously licking his lips, not missing the way that Alec’s eyes instantly drop down to follow the movement.

“So, I understand I forgot to give you my name when we met earlier,” he tells Alec, fighting the impulse to lick his lips again, just to see if he looks again.

“Yeah,” he responds with a sweet smile, “I had to source it from Semi earlier.”

“Yeah, he told me,” Magnus replied, a small blush spreading over him.

“I’m sorry about that,” he continued. “I think I just got into a weird headspace meeting so many people all at once.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Alec tells him cheerfully, “Tell you what, why don’t we start this again.”

Magnus watches entranced as Alec gives him a beautiful smile and holds out his hand.

“Hi, my name is Alec. I’m 28 and work as a travel writer, and I am very excited to meet you tonight.”

Magnus lets out a small chuckle in response to Alec’s easy charm, letting the nerves go as he responds to the warmth radiating off the man, grasping his hand to shake before responding.

“Hi Alec, it’s great to meet you. My name is Magnus, I’m 29, and I own a nightclub called Pandemonium, I haven’t travelled nearly as much as I want to, and I am the proud father of the most spoilt and pampered cat in the state of New York.”

“It’s great to meet you, Magnus,” Alec says softly, still holding his hand.

“You too, Alec.”

For a brief moment, neither of them look away, all thoughts of camera’s and microphones and multiple dates far away from either of their thoughts, before the noise of the room comes rushing back.

Gently pulling his hand away, Magnus takes a step back, looking down for a second to gather his composure before looking back up.

“Well, I should go. I have some roses to give out.”

“Choose wisely,” Alec responds.

Looking back over his shoulder, Magnus watches Alec intently for a second before answering.

“I absolutely will.”

Alec let himself be pushed and pulled into position on the multiple level platform within the ‘ceremony room’ as they had come to call it. He was more than ready for this whole night and experience to be over.

He had spent the entire night being painfully aware of Magnus moving around the room, talking to everyone, being charming and beautiful and smart and funny and everything else Alec was sure he was, and would never get the chance to find out. Because he was going home tonight.

He knew it was for the best. As much as he had enjoyed meeting Magnus tonight, he knew this was not for him. He wasn’t built to compete for the attention of one person, alongside dozens of others. He could barely compete when it was just himself, he was that inept at romance. Looking around tonight, he had seen the amazing and accomplished people that had come to vie for Magnus’s love, and he knew that he was incredibly out of his league.

Just a few more hours and he would be able to go home and try and forget this whole experience. He couldn’t help but wish that he had met Magnus somewhere out on the streets of New York. Maybe then he would have had a chance. Not for the endless life-changing love that Magnus was looking for, sure, but maybe something.

He knew he wasn’t capable of holding on to someone as amazing as him for long, but he could have had something. Magnus was obviously attracted to him, and they lived in the same damn city!

In fact, Alec was sure that Izzy had tried multiple times to drag him out to a club named Pandemonium. Why the hell hadn’t he ever gone! He could have met him then.

No use crying about it now, Alec thinks to himself. Watching as the last person is put into place and the camera’s turn to the host Michael who had just entered the room.

As Michael goes into his spiel about how the rose ceremony will proceed, Alec only pays half attention, the other half impatiently waiting for Magnus to arrive, eager to get once last glimpse of the man that would fuel his fantasies into the near future.

As Magnus enters the room, Alec feels his breath catch, finding the innate beauty of the man standing at the front of the room absolutely astounding. He follows Magnus’s ring covered hand as it reaches down to a wooden box at his side. Holes, cleverly cut in it’s top, to hide the length of the stems, not allowing the dates to know how many would go to the males or the females.

As Magnus’s fingers pull out the first long-stemmed rose, Alec casts about quickly for something else to look at, desperately trying to resist the urge to publicly ask Magnus to let him stay. He catches the eye of Semi, who is standing off alone to the side, albeit for a brief while, being the one person to receive a rose at the party. He can’t help but smile exchange a mile with the young film-maker, having thoroughly enjoyed their talk earlier in the night.

“Camille,” Magnus calls out.

Alec turns back in time to see a beautiful blonde dripping with expensive jewels step forward to accept the rose, a pleased smile on her face, as she turned to join Semi on the other side of the room.

“Samantha,” Magnus calls out, before a beautiful brunette with gorgeous brown skin steps forward, a shy disbelieving smile on her face as she does.

“Charnze,” Alec exchanges a brief smile with the tall footballer he had talked with earlier as he steps forward excitedly, quickly apologising for stepping on someone’s toes as does. The ceremony continues, longer than you would typically anticipate, as Magnus disappears into a small room with Simon and Lily regularly, after every three or four roses.

Alec can only assume it’s to allow the camera’s to reposition themselves, as well as let Magnus make sure he is going to be calling out the right name. Getting to know 24 new people in one night is no easy feat, never mind keeping track of them and knowing who it is you want to send home.

“Jenni,”

“Josh,”

“Kim,”

“Tom,”

“Silvana,”

Alec lets himself drift slightly, knowing his name won’t be one of the ones called. All that is required of him at this time is to look appropriately anxious and invested and wait till he and one other poor soul are left upon this platform, rejection folding over them until they are permitted to leave the building and their embarrassment behind them.

“Alec,” Magnus calls out next, a rose clutched in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this new chapter. I have been writing most of this while home sick so I hope it all makes sense. If not let me know! 😉 These chapters are coming out a little longer than I had initially planned, making it hard to keep up, as I still have some other pieces I am working on also. I will try to do weekly updates as much as possible, but every now and then I may need to stretch it to two weeks, especially when I start posting my other stories also, so I hope that’s ok with everyone.  
> If you liked this, please leave a comment and a kudo if you haven’t already as they always inspire me to write more.  
> I hope everyone is happy and healthy wherever you are!
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Leia  
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet  
> Corey   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim  
> Jordan   
> Jarrod


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From one Rose ceremony to the next and everything in between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, firstly I am going to apologise, because I am in no way happy with this chapter, but I have mucked around with it so long now, that I don’t think I can do much more with it than post it and move on. I hope you still enjoy it, and at least I have made it a good sized chapter for you all as it comes in just over 9500 words.  
> Just a reminder out there for all those fans of the show, that I have never actually watched it and so am still trying to learn all the rules and how everything works. I beg you to just go with it if something doesn’t ring true, or drop me a comment and let me know and I will do what I can to alter it for you.  
> Otherwise have fun!
> 
> FYI: A full list of the dates left is in the end notes.

**Continuing on from the Rose Ceremony**

“Alec” Magnus calls out next, a rose clutched in his hands.

For a second, Alec actually looks around, wondering who has called his name, as if there could even be another person calling it out at this time. Getting a quick nudge to his side where a Texan named Lucas is standing, he quickly straightens up and wiping the confused look off his face, steps down towards Magnus.

As others angle themselves slightly to give him more space to get through, Alec can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on? He was supposed to go home. He was supposed to meet Magnus, be charming and inoffensive at the party, get rejected and go home! Instead, he now finds himself standing in front of the most beautiful man he has ever seen, being asked if he will accept his rose.

Confused as to what is happening, Alec studies the face in front of him, taking in every minute muscle twitch and flutter on display. He frowns as he sees Magnus begin to fidget slightly in nervousness before realising that he hadn’t yet answered the man, and instead they had been standing there in silence for the last few seconds.

“Yes! Yes, sorry,” he answers in an apologetic voice.

With hands shaking ever so slightly, Magnus pins the rose to Alec’s lapel before reaching forward to place a kiss on Alec’s cheek, as he had done with the other rose recipients. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if they had all felt that same sharp prickling on their cheeks as a result, like he did, or if, like him, a strange tingle had stayed with them as they’d walked to take their place on the other side, 

Alec let himself become utterly unaware of what names Magnus called out after him, keeping his gaze fixed on the man who had put him in this confused state. Whenever Magnus left the room to discuss his latest choices and allow the cameras to reposition, Alec found his gaze drawn down to the rose resting over his chest. Perfect in its beauty, it also mirrored the fragility and vulnerability that he suddenly felt. Eventually, there were only two left without roses, and Alec watched as Magnus, having not looked at Alec since giving him his rose, gave them a sad, regretful smile while Michael stepped forward again.

“Leia, Corey, unfortunately, you did not get a rose tonight. Please take a moment now to say your goodbyes.”

As the man and woman left standing rose-less, begin to turn and say goodbye to those around them, Alec lets his attention drift from Magnus to Lily. Finding another set of eyes, determinedly not looking at him, he turns to look at Simon instead, huffing exasperatedly when the man gives him a double thumbs-up while mouthing the words ‘Yeah man! Congrats!’

As those with roses are instructed to move back to the cocktail party once more, Alec tries to move towards Lily, determined to find out what exactly is going on.

He grows increasingly frustrated when Lily continues to avoid him, keeping herself very close to Magnus in her efforts. To be fair, Alec thinks, she does have an actual job to do. But this is so not what they had agreed to! She was going to have to talk to him at some point.

“What a rose ceremony! I thought you were going to refuse Magnus for a second there Alec,” someone says to his left.

Alec turns to see Charnze walking beside him, his own rose sitting pretty on the lapel of his blazer. Resisting the strange urge to rip it off the man, Alec instead threw him a quick smile. 

“Yeah, I know. I phased out slightly with all the cameras. Stage fright or something I suppose.”

“I’d think you’d be used to being in front of the camera with ‘Travel Stories,’ wouldn’t you?” He joked with Alec.

Charnze had approached Alec during the cocktail party, asking if he was the same guy he’d just watched on Netflix’ travelling around Australia on that fantastic travel show.’ Confirming that it was highly likely it had been him, the footballer had then engaged Alec is a lively conversation about his time in Australia, having spent some time out there himself, playing football.

Alec continued to chat with Charnze as they walked back into the main room, Josh and Hartley joining their conversation along the way. Through it all though, Alec kept his eyes fixed on Lily, silently demanding answers from his friend, growing more and more frustrated when she refused to catch his eye.

He couldn’t help but notice that Magnus was watching him as he watched Lily, but the few times that he dared to pull his gaze away from her, he found Magnus to be equally as elusive, averting his head so rapidly, Alec began to fear for the state of his neck. 

Over the next thirty minutes, Alec waited for his opportunity as Magnus once again thanked everyone for joining him on this adventure and said goodnight and the producers stayed on to explain how things were to work from here on out. As Lily spoke to the mixed group of men and women, Alec felt his frustration and annoyance mount as her gaze continued to brush over him.

“So, being that it’s now 4 am, tomorrow you should feel free to rest, unpack, and explore the resort. Later in the afternoon, two envelopes will arrive, which will identify the dates that Magnus has chosen for the week. One will be a single date, while the other will be a group date. The group dates generally consist of around eight people at this stage, with the occasional opportunity for one of those people to win some alone time with Magnus at the end of it.

Now, there are a few rules while you are at the house. While we provide all the food and drink, it is up to you all to prepare it. You can decide amongst yourselves how you want to do this. Still, generally, we encourage everyone to take part in the preparation of at least one group meal, and we expect everyone to spend some time eating together also. You are all going to be living together, so you may as well get to know each other. 

The same goes for housework. While somebody will come in to vacuum and mop once a week when we pull you out for a cocktail party, it is all otherwise up to you, and everyone must take part equally.”

At the news of expected cooking and cleaning, Alec took a brief break from his glaring at Lily, to look around in amusement at the horror on the faces around him. Obviously, none of them had realised that they would be expected to take part in the general duties of everyday life that most people knew. Alec wondered if a couple of them had ever picked up a cleaning rag or a cooking pot in their life. Rolling his eyes again at the situation he had found himself in, Alec redirected his eyes back to Lilly as she continued speaking.

“Now, your luggage has been delivered to your rooms, which each of you will be directed to shortly. Now, you all have private rooms, with small bathrooms attached. Now, I need you to be aware that there are camera’s and microphones throughout this resort, so be aware you are on camera at all times. There are, however, no camera’s set up in your bedrooms, and for this reason, you are the only person allowed in your room. You all signed contracts stating that you agree to the fact that all your conversations and interactions are available to the show. If you are found trying to subvert this process, it can mean your elimination from the show, so I say again, keep to the rules.

Now I know everyone is tired, so I’m going to let you all go and head to bed. There is a briefing book by your beds that goes over all the rules and expectations once again. I urge you all to read it and make sure you understand everything. Feel free to come and see any of us if you have any questions or concerns.

Goodnight, everyone!”

As everyone began to separate, Alec watched as the variety of producers and aides began directing the dates to their rooms. Meanwhile, Alec kept his eyes locked on Lily, who upon finally meeting his hard stare, quietly jerked her head to the side, indicating that she would speak to him outside. 

Following her out the door, Alec found his anger ready to bubble over, causing him to get right in her face as she spun around to face him. Taking a quick step back, she flinched slightly as he finally let loose.

“What the hell happened, Lily?”

“Would you keep your voice down please, Alec? The camera’s and microphones aren’t turned on out here yet, but if you get much louder, the ones inside will definitely pick you up.”

“I don’t care!” He all but screamed back at her. Seeing her flinch again at his tone, Alec stepped back and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

“I’m sorry, but Lily, what the hell? You said one night!” He told her, his voice soft and broken.

“I know, Alec, and I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. Magnus likes you.”

“He doesn’t even know me!” His voice rising again slightly.

“Didn’t you tell him what the plan was?” Desperation sounding in his voice.

“I did! I told him, Alec! I told him that it was just for tonight, but then he said that that didn’t necessarily feel genuine to him.”

“So what! He decided to keep me to spite you for not making the show genuine!”

“No! I told him that if he really liked you, then he could give you a rose, but that you would prefer to go home, and that I didn’t think he’d want you to stay anyway. Then he agreed to send you home anyway! That was the plan!”

“So, what happened? Why am I still here, Lily?” He demanded, confusion and desperation colouring his hard tone.

“I told you! He likes you. He came into the back room during the ceremony and told us he wanted you to stay and was going to give you a rose!”

“Did you tell him not to? Did you tell him that the plan was to send me home?”

“I couldn’t! Everyone was there, and they didn’t know.”

Lily looked at Alec, apology and distress clear on her face.

“Lily, what the hell am I supposed to do now?”

He watched her hesitate as she struggled to formulate an answer, knowing he wouldn’t like what she was about to say.

“I think you should stay,” she finally tells him in a quiet voice, hesitation and hope in her voice.

At Alec’s incredulous look, she rushed to continue.

“Alec, this could be a great thing for you! The reason Magnus wants you to stay is because he felt some sort of connection between you! The only reason he hesitated on giving you a rose was because I had asked him to send you home, but ultimately he couldn’t do it! He felt something when he talked to you, something so strong that he couldn’t ignore it and give it up! Can you honestly tell me you didn’t feel something too?”

“That’s not the point, Lily!” He came back at her.

“Maybe it should be!” She shot straight back.

“I love you, Alec, but you are a hot mess. I’ve watched you push away any opportunity of love that came your way, so terrified of getting hurt, of letting anybody get close and making yourself vulnerable. Maybe this is the universe telling you to take a chance.”

“The universe,” he says disbelievingly. “The universe is telling me to take a chance. Are you fucking kidding me! I’ve been doing my job, Lily! I haven’t had time for love, because I haven’t been in one place for longer than a few months, because I’ve been building my career!” His voice exploding out of him, his anger keeping his tone low, and making it all the more scary because of it.

“I don’t want to be here. And you are going to tell him that. I will stay until the next rose ceremony. I won’t risk your career or ruin his moment. But, you will tell him that he is sending me home, or I am just walking out. I’m not staying.”

Knowing that she would never convince him otherwise, Lily nodded her head in defeat.

“Ok, Alec. I’ll tell him to send you home,” she promises.

Nodding his head in response, Alec takes a deep breath and looks around before looking back at his friend.

“Any idea what I’m supposed to do for clothes for the next week? I didn’t exactly plan on staying here. Apart from this suit, Clary found for me, all I’ve got is the clothes I wore here yesterday.”

“Clary called Isabelle and told her what was happening when Magnus decided to give you a rose. She’s heading to your place as soon as the suns up and packing you a couple of suitcases before driving them up here. She should be here sometime after lunch,” she tells him quietly, not knowing how he’d take the news that Izzy, and as a consequence, his entire family, now know the ridiculous situation he had stepped into.

Alec, however, appreciated the fact that Clary had taken the initiative to do this, knowing that he would not be able to do this himself, having been forced to hand his phone and computer over earlier in the day.

“Ok. And what do I do until she gets here?” He asks.

“Wear today’s clothes? Stay in your room until it arrives? It’s up to you, Alec.”

“Any chance I can get my computer back? I’ve got a deadline to meet for my editor.” He asks, already knowing the answer but wanting to ask anyway just to emphasise how much this was affecting him.

“I’m sorry, Alec,” Lily tells him regretfully. “There’s no personal electronics allowed. You know that. I can offer you notebooks and pens?”

Looking away at annoyance, Alec tries to reign in his anger at the situation, knowing deep down that Lily would not have asked him for this favour, if she had known that he would get stuck like this. He couldn’t do it, though. Maybe it had been Magnus’s decision to keep him, but she could’ve made it clear to the man that this wasn’t an option. 

“Yeah, ok. Notebooks and pens. Do me a favour, get Izzy to talk to my dad and let him know what’s happening and have him make the calls that need to be made. My editor, my agent, etc. Dad will know who to call for me.”

“Yeah, absolutely. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of Alec. Again, I’m sorry,” she tells him, her voice begging him for forgiveness. Alec wished to God he could give it to her, but ultimately, he wasn’t able to. He knew she was sorry, but for now, it wasn’t enough. He offered what reassurance he could, letting her know that even if he wasn’t able to forgive her yet, he would soon. Placing a hand on her arm, Alec turned away as he answered her.

“Yeah, ok. I’m heading to bed. I’m ready for this day to be over,” he told her, walking away.

Collecting his instructions from Simon as to which room was his, Alec made his way up one of the staircases to discover a 2nd corridor behind the wall of the upstairs observation deck, a string of rooms lining its length. 

Looking at the numbers on the door, Alec made his way to the far end of the corridor, and finally, let himself into a room three from the end. 

Not even taking note of anything in the room other than the queen size bed sitting just off centre on the left wall, Alec began to strip as he walked towards it, showing no care whatsoever to the expensive suit that he had borrowed for the night. 

Once he got down to his boxer briefs, he fell upon the bed, pulling a cushion to him rather than exert more energy to realign himself on the bed and find the pillows at its head.

With a barrage of thoughts running chaos in his head, Alec welcomed the oblivion that came with true exhaustion and let himself slip into unconsciousness.

When Magnus woke the next morning, it took him a while to remember where he was exactly, missing his luxurious silk sheets from home, but not altogether displeased with the high thread count cotton he found himself sleeping on instead.

As he lay there, he felt the excitement of the experience wash over him, excitedly going over all the people he had met the night before, wondering if one of them could actually be someone he could love, someone who could love him in return, someone he could share and spend the rest of his life with.

His heart stuttered slightly when Alec’s face flashed before him, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he had done the right thing in keeping the man here. 

Nothing you can do about it now, he thought to himself, forcing his mind to move on.

Climbing out of bed, Magnus grabbed his robe from a chair in the corner of the room, before making his way to the kitchen of the luxury bungalow he would be living in during the show.

He’d been brought to the property ahead of all the contestants, and it had actually been here that he had prepared for the meet and greet with the wonderful Margaret. He’d therefore already unpacked, and explored the bungalow, learning it’s layout and making himself at home.

One of three isolated properties at the resort, Magnus was living at the far end, with two other bungalows that producers were using placed between him and the dates who had come to compete for his affections. 

It was a delightful space, with a large open-plan common living room. The front door opened into the lounge area, the large room comfortably stuffed with oversized sofas, floor cushions and low tables. This immediately flowed into an eating space with a six-person dining table, a large kitchen after that with an island bench providing a casual eating bench as an alternative to the larger eating area.

The bedroom was located next to the living area, with a walk-in robe attached that led into a large and spacious ensuite. A small laundry and half bathroom came off the kitchen, and a wrap-around patio and porch surrounded the entire building on three sides. An outdoor eating area, as well as a pool with an attached jacuzzi, took up the central patio, coming off the long length of the building.

The entire setting was light and airy with floor to ceiling windows and soft furnishings. Exposed redwood beams overhead brought the bungalow in line with the larger resort where the dates would be living, while not sacrificing the independent charm of its own.

Magnus was just sitting down with his first coffee of the day, and some fruit and pastries that he had found in the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door and looked up to see Simon walk in.

“Good morning! How’d you sleep?” The exuberant, yet obviously exhausted man asked as he walked in.

“Is it still morning?” Magnus asked before turning around to look at the clock on the wall.

“For another few minutes, it is,” Simon replied, moving to get his own coffee from the kitchen before joining Magnus at the table.

“Ok, then. Good morning to you too! I slept fine, thank you. How’d you sleep? Did you sleep?” Magnus asked with a cheerful smile and a slightly concerned look.

“I did sleep, thank you. A few hours at least,” he amended slightly at Magnus’s sceptical look. 

“I had to get some things organised before coming over to start making plans with you for the upcoming week. So to start, how are you feeling about things in the light of the day? Have you had any thoughts about who you want to take out on the dates? Anyone stand out to you?” Simon asked, taking a sip of his coffee and reaching out to grab a muffin from the basket on the table.

“Help yourself,” Magnus tells him with a chuckle, before continuing.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. I want to take Camille out for the first single date. I got a chance to spend some more time with her last night, but not nearly enough. I’d love to spend some more time with her, be able to talk without having to look at the clock and move on to the next person.”

“Ok, great,” Simon responds. “Any idea’s where you want to take her or what you want to do?”

“A few, maybe. I’m not really sure yet what’s available out here,” Magnus tells him.

“Well, we can pretty much make anything happen, but we can come back to that in a bit. What about the group date? Any ideas? We want to get these locked down today so we can send the invitations out to the dates this afternoon.”

“Group date. Ok, so we’re looking at around eight people right?” Magnus confirms.

“Usually, yeah. But we can change that up slightly with Lily’s ok, if that’s what you want or to do something specific,” Simon tells him, pulling up the folder they had shown him last night with a picture and small bio set of all the potential dates. Last night it had helped him remember who’s who so he didn’t send home the wrong person. Today it would help him figure out who to take out.

Magnus began flicking through the folder as Simon talked to him about the range of date possibilities, pulling out another folder from the bag he’d brought with him at the same time, this one filled with a variety of date possibilities. 

As Magnus flicked through the folder, he mentally began choosing people to take on his group dates, considering who he wanted to see more of. As he came across Alec’s bio, he paused for a brief second, his doubts once again crowding in on him. He couldn’t say what it was about Alec that drew him in so completely. Apart from the gorgeous body, the beautiful smile, the warm tenor of his voice and the blue eyes you could drown in, of course. He looked up from Alec’s picture, at the man sitting beside him, knowing that Simon knew what the original plan had been, wondering if he dared to ask about Alec. In the end, though, he let his fears of the other man’s reaction hush that voice inside of him. Instead, he turned the page and continued to look through the remainder of the dates.

“I’d like to make the group date something fun for the first one, or at least fun for me. I was thinking a wine tasting tour or something like that, God knows, a constant flow of drinks can only help the situation at this point,” Magnus tells Simon, with an exaggerated wink.

Simon gives a small chuckle before answering.

“It’s all becoming very real, right? Suddenly having to plan dates with multiple people, thinking ahead about who you want to send home, it’s pretty overwhelming, isn’t it?”

As Magnus nods in response, Simon flicks through his folder to find a wind tasting vineyard close by that the show already had connections with, flipping it around to show Magnus when he came to it.

“Here’s what we have. It’s a small vineyard that gives private tours and produces some high-quality wines. We’ve dealt with them before on a season a couple of years back, and they were great. Very accomodating and it went really well. I can make a booking for Thursday, and you’ll be able to spend the day out there with whomever you choose. Any idea’s on who?”

As Magnus and Simon continued to plan out the dates, Magnus felt a kind of peace and certainty come over him that he was making the right decision for himself, coming on this show. That somehow, this event was going to change his life. He could only hope it would change it for the better.

Alec was still in bed, sleeping when a knock sounded on his door a little after 1 pm. The events of the last 24 hours, coupled with his hectic schedule in the weeks and month leading up to it, had left him completely wiped, and he felt he could have easily slept the entire day away.

Instead, he found himself rolling out of bed to pull the door open, only to see Lily’s assistant Jonathon on the other side, 2 of Alec’s roll-on suitcases on either side of him.

“Morning, Alec! I got a special delivery for you,” Jonathon tells him.

“Oh, thank God,” Alec replies, reaching out to take the bags from the other man. “Fresh clothes!”

“Yeah, Lily thought you might be wanting these as soon as possible. Good to hear you’re sticking around, man! You’re going to have a great time.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Alec answers, hiding as much of the sarcasm from his voice as he can.

“Anyway, thanks for the clothes, Jonathon. I’m going to go shower and change. What time do I have to be downstairs?”

“Really, you got till 3 pm till you have to be down there. The envelopes with the date invites will arrive about 4 pm, and they’ll want to spend some time before then with everybody, explaining how that reveal is filmed and then organising a cooking and cleaning schedule not long after that,” Jonathon explains.

“Ok, I’ll see you then,” Alec tells him.

“See you then!” Jonathon says with a smile and a wave.

Alec hesitates for a quick second before calling out.

“Hey Jonathon?”

“Yeah?”

“Th-thanks for everything. Bringing up my luggage and ah, your advice and that. Thanks,” Alec says, stumbling slightly over his words.

“Absolutely, Alec. Anything you need, I’m here.”

“Ok. Thanks again.”

Giving him one last smile, Jonathon turns and walks down the hall, leaving Alec to shut the door and pull the suitcases over to the bed. Opening up the smaller of the two bags, Alec see’s his bathroom kit sitting on top of a variety of other items. 

Pulling the kit out, he heads into the adjoining bathroom and starts unpacking. He’s relieved to see that Izzy had hardly altered the bag from his return trip a couple of days ago, merely adding some fresh toiletries such as toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant as well as adding a new bottle of an expensive cologne he loves but rarely wears, preferring to go au-natural when travelling. 

Twenty minutes later, and Alec is feeling a lot more refreshed, having showered, washed and brushed his teeth. He’d forgone shaving, not feeling the need to try and impress anyone and preferring to stick to his usual scruff when he wasn’t filming or trying to court sponsors.

He walks back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He’s thinking he’ll get dressed and go exploring, see where he will be living for the next five days. As he approaches the bed, he sees yesterdays suit, still laying across the floor where he’d dropped it in his exhaustion. 

Picking the jacket up off the floor, he spots the rose laying on the floor, obviously having detached itself when he threw it off. Alec looks at it for a second before leaning over to pick it up. Walking over to a small writing desk, he frowns as he finds himself hovering with his hand over the small waste paper basket beside it, holding the rose in a light pinch between his fingers and his thumb. 

Not wanting to examine his reasons too closely, he quickly turns away still holding the rose, and places it in a small glass cup by the bathroom sink, filling the small cup with some water. He returns to the bedroom and places the cup on the desk, the rose’s velvety petals catching the sun shining through the window, making them look softer than a pillow. After staring at it for a little while, Alec gives a small shake of the head and turns away.

After making his bed, he pulls both cases up on it and opens them up.

“God damn it, Izzy!” He blurts out in frustration.

Roughly rifling through the clothes in front of him, he realises that his darling sister had packed very little of his well-worn in and comfortable clothes, his preferred clothes, and instead had packed a variety of items that she had gifted him over the years, or even more frustratingly, brand new clothes, most of them things that he would never choose for himself.

Izzy had always lamented his taste in clothes, hating that he choose comfort over style, durability over variety. She had purchased many items for him in the past, somewhat tailoring her more out-there style for him, which allowed him to wear her items for those dreaded sponsorship parties or any other event that required him to make more of an effort with his look.

Searching through the items that Izzy had packed for him now, he could see she had still held back somewhat, keeping to his natural preference of the casual look for the most part, with the exception of a few necessary items such as suits. Unfortunately, she hadn’t held back enough.

Mixed in with his preferred dark and earth tones, he could see a few pieces of colour in the lighter print button-up shirts, mixed in with a variety of t-shirts and dress shirts. His typical loose fit jeans had been replaced with more upscale skinny jeans and were now accompanied by a few pairs of chinos in dark red, blue, and green. Gone were his favoured oversized sweaters and instead were a variety of soft fitted sweaters and jackets.

He should have known to expect this from Izzy. She would have loved the opportunity to choose his clothes for him like this, knowing that he would have no option but to wear her choices. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be allowed a little day trip to the local shopping centre to find a Target or anything.

Rolling his eyes, he pulls on some skinny jeans and a fitted blue v-neck T-shirt. Slipping his feet into his favourite pair of runners, he looks around for his phone before heading outside, briefly forgetting that for the next few days at least, it won’t be a part of his everyday world. 

As he stepped out of his bedroom and headed down the stairs, a smile breaks over his face as he thinks about all these people, he was unexpectedly living with suddenly finding themselves unplugged. He was only mildly ashamed by the amount of pleasure he took in the grief he expected it to cause in most of them. 

He figured he’d probably handle being removed from his phone a lot better than most of the fellow dates he was living with. Although he always took a phone with him when travelling, using a satellite phone when he was going to a remote area, instead of his regular, he rarely had it turned on, just keeping it with him for emergencies.

In fact despite his displeasure last night at not having access to his laptop, the pen and paper that had been added to the contents of his suitcase, he was guessing by Lily, were his usual method of recording when travelling. It simply wasn’t possible to find many opportunities to charge a laptop in some of the areas he travelled. He did take a camera, but his canon still took AA batteries to run, and he simply ensured he took enough with him to replace any flat ones while he was away.

Caught between laughing and grimacing at the thought of living for the next week with a bunch of people about to go into device-withdrawal, Alec jogged downstairs and made his way into the kitchen behind the stairs, looking for something to eat. 

Seeing a few others standing around the kitchen and the attached eating area, Alec stifled a sigh before turning to the coffee machine, taking up a good section of the kitchen bench. Brewing himself a strong black, he closed his eyes in sweet relief as the first hit of caffeine ran through his system. Seeing a basket of muffins and assorted pastries on the table, Alec took his mug and went to join Charnze and Josh, as well as a few others he was yet to learn the name of. 

Grabbing a muffin, he exchanged greetings with everyone, and settled into his seat, gently picking at his muffin in between sips of his coffee.

“How are you doing this morning?” Charnze asked, his ever-present smile lighting up his face.

Wondering if Charnze had an off switch for all that excitability he carried around with him, Alec sent the other man a wry smile, finding himself warming to the man, despite the apparent differences in their personalities.

“Not too bad. Yourself?”

“I’m good. Hoping to get a date today,” Charnze replied with a happy smile.

“Aren’t we all,” a blond woman replied, slipping into the chair opposite Alec, two other women following along behind and joining her at the table.

“Hi, I’m Charnze,” the man said, holding out his hand to the woman, not faltering as she raised an eyebrow at him in slight disbelief, before smiling in response and offering her hand up.

“Camille,”

“Nice to meet you, Camille,” smiling warmly at the two other women, causing them to quickly offer up their own names, the others at the table to doing the same.

“Silvana.”

“Rebecca.”

“I’m Josh,” the quiet man to Alec’s right said.

“Jarrod.”

“Tom.”

“Kim.”

As everyone’s eyes turned to Alec, he reluctantly joined the conversation also.

“Alec.”

“So, anyone want to take bets on who gets the first single date?” Camille asked.

“What about that kid, Semi?” Kim responded, looking around at the group. 

“He did get the first rose last night,” Jarrod agreed.

“No way, it’s because he got the rose last night the date will go to someone else,” Silvana told them, sounding somewhat bored.

“Who are you picking then?” Charnze asked.

“Myself,” she replied with a smile, before quickly rising and walking away from the table.

Deciding if she could leave, he could too, Alec got up from the table also, and stopping briefly to refill his coffee cup, moved outside to the pool area and parked himself at one of the umbrella-covered tables.

He closes his eyes in relief at the quiet, wondering how exactly Lily was expecting him to survive the next few days. At the best of times, Alec was a loner and thrived on peace and quiet. He enjoyed time with his friends and family, of course, but he could also happily survive weeks without feeling the need to talk to another person. In addition, he was known to get antsy when always surrounded by people, such as he was now.

Squashing down a groan that was threatening to burst out of him, he determined that he would use the time to outline his book in those damn notebooks, keeping himself as isolated as he possibly could. They were discouraged from spending time in their rooms during the day, but this was a big enough house. Even with 20 odd people living in it, Alec was sure he could find a quiet place to do his writing. He’d even volunteer to cook a couple of meals for everyone if it meant he’d be left alone.

Alec let himself drift off again, enjoying the sun’s warmth slowly spreading over his body as it’s angle in the sky changed. It was quite reluctantly that he let himself be roused an hour later by a filming assistant, apparently being needed for a group filming session in the main living quarters.

He reluctantly followed along behind the man, immediately locking eyes on Lily as he entered the room. 

After giving him a small nod, Lily turned back to the group at large and invited everyone to sit.

Finding a seat at a small table, Alec traded in the comfort of one of the large armchairs or couches for the fact that he was seated in a back corner behind everyone else, therefore less likely to be noticed by the camera’s. He listened half-heartedly as Lily, accompanied by Jonathon and Maia, explained the filming process for the envelopes, and the revelation of the dates. Despite telling Lily that he expected to go home next week and her promise to give this information to Magnus, Alec was a little nervous that he would get pulled in for one of these dates.

He can’t deny that in any other circumstances, he would love to spend more time with Magnus. He was more than aware of that connection between the two of them that Lily had talked about last night, having never felt anything like it before. Alec knew it was the strength of that attraction that made him so desperate to leave. 

Shaking off that train of thought, Alec watched quietly as the camera operators came in and began setting up with the sound crew. There was a quiet buzz of excitement in the air as everyone waited for the moment they would find out the participants of the dates. 

Or maybe it was the thrill of being on camera that had everyone excited, Alec thought cynically, watching most of the women, and more than a few of the guys, suddenly start checking their reflections in mirrors and other reflective surfaces, before adjusting their poses in their seats.

After another long ten minutes, the filming crew was finally ready to start. Alec sat in amused disbelief as everyone suddenly began talking to each other, happily and casually, like they had been doing it all afternoon, only to act surprised when the host Michael stepped into the room, waving two red cards.

“Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentleman, how are we all?” He called out, a cheerful host smile on his face, the same as Alec had seen on every tv host ever.

Seeing the hard look Lily was giving him for not playing his part, Alec straightened up, not wanting to do anything to damage Lily’s big break, no matter how upset with her he currently was. 

Alec forced a look of excited expectation on his face as Michael laid the two envelopes on the table and walked away. Silvana, the lithe brunette that Alec had met in the kitchen, immediately leant forward and swiped them up, keeping one for herself and handing the other to her companion Camille.

“I have the single date!” She called out gleefully.

“Who wants to know what it says?’ She asks with a wide smile on her face.

“Absolutely!” Alec called out with all the other assents, perhaps a little too enthusiastically as both Semi and Josh looked over at him in surprise before smothering quiet chuckles. Smiling in response to their amusement, all three refocused their attention on Silvana.

“I’m all a-boat loving life and living free, so come seas the day with me - Magnus.”

As Silvana read the horrific ocean-related pun, Alec felt his amusement bubble over and a small giggle escape him, before he could stop it. His guilt lessened however, when he saw Kim and Josh do the same, while someone he thought was named Janet, openly rolled her eyes.

“And the date goes to . . . Camille!” Silvana called out, a small bite in her voice, despite her happy tone.

“Yea me!” Camille responded, looking around smugly at the assembled group.

“Now let’s find out which of you will share some time with Magnus on the group date,” she continued, making it clear she considered this to be an inferior option.

Camille paused dramatically before she began reading the card, obviously enjoying her time on the camera.

“It isn’t good to keep things bottled up, so let’s all wine down and get to know each other - Magnus.”

“Oh! Wine tasting!” One of the girls calls out gleefully, exchanging a high five with Charnze.

Giving the other woman a brittle smile, Camille kept reading.”

“And the people going on this wonderful group date,” she said, emphasising the word group, “are;

“Samantha.” A small cheer went up, and Alec watched as a woman sitting near the front, blushed sweetly and looked down in shy happiness.

“Dani,” - An elegant redhead gave a satisfied smile.

“Charnze,” - “Yeah, baby!” Charnze called out excitedly, causing everyone to laugh.

“Kim,” - At her name, Kim sat back in her seat with a relaxed air.

“Josh,” - “Hey congrats man!” Charnze told him, causing Josh to give him a happy smile.

“George,” - A serious and good looking man gave a brief smile in response.

“Silvana!” - Camille gave the brunette next to her a delighted smile, one she obviously felt happy sharing knowing that she was the one who got the single date. Silvana simply smiled demurely, giving the impression that she expected nothing less than to be included in any dates.

“Last, but not least is John!” Camille called out excitedly, looking at an extremely good looking, but otherwise forgettable man, at least in Alec’s opinion, who smiled in response.

“That’s everyone! Sorry to all those who Magnus didn’t choose. Maybe next time,” she told them, fake sympathy just dripping from her voice. As everyone who hadn’t been chosen, looked around disappointedly, trying to keep brave smiles on their face, Alec got up and headed to his room.

He told himself, he wanted to collect the notebooks Lily had acquired for him, so he could start working on his outline. Truth is, he was trying to figure out this strange feeling of disappointment he was experiencing after not being called.

He was genuine in his wish to go home, and for that reason, it absolutely made sense that Magnus would not include him on his dates. It was ridiculous to feel rejected. He was the one who had rejected Magnus! So why the disappointment? 

Not wanting to examine this feeling any more, Alec decided to go and put his name to the cooking and cleaning schedule in the kitchen and stake out a claim at a table by the pool to write. All he had to do was get through the next five days, endure one last cocktail party, and he was finally free.

He could do that. And if his thoughts occasionally drifted to a beautiful, glittery man, then no one but him ever had to know.

Magnus felt a trickle of nerves as he waited with Simon to enter the cocktail party. It had been a strange and wonderful week. 

He had thoroughly enjoyed his sailing date with Camille, sharing a great afternoon and evening of conversation and laughter. It turns out they had quite a bit in common, both having their home town in NY, strong interests in LGBTQ+ rights (Camille being passionate about the cause on behalf of her younger brother) and a genuine love of parties, entertainment and everything that glitters. 

Magnus felt an incredible connection with her and was delighted to give her a rose at the end of the night. They had shared a sweet and chaste kiss after also. While Magnus had felt a spark there, he was determined to keep all his interactions at this point of the competition clean. 

He couldn’t help but feel somewhat odd about dating so many people at once. In an effort to keep himself from feeling too sleazy, he wanted to wait until further into the relationships before he even ventured into a more passionate territory.

His group date had been a lot of fun also, though there had been fewer sparks there overall. They had ventured to the vineyard and enjoyed some truly wonderful samples. Magnus had even decided to make contact again when all this was over in the hopes of getting some bottles for the club.

Even though he had had a wonderful time with everyone, he had gotten a little closer to distinguishing who he wanted to spend a bit more time with and with who he saw no future. Tonight he would spend a bit of time with everyone, including a few more one on one’s, before sending home someone new. At that thought, Magnus felt those nerves spark up once more. He knew who he was sending home tonight. He could hardly forget after the conversation he’d had yesterday.

“Hi Magnus,”

“Lily. How are you, my dear?” Magnus asked, opening up the door to the cottage for the producer.

“I’m good, thank you. How was the wine tasting?”

“Wonderful! I’m not a huge wine drinker, but they were some delightful drops.”

“I’m glad. I’m really glad.”

Magnus watched with amusement as the head producer seemed to cast about for what to say next.

“Something you need to tell me, Lily?” Magnus asked gently.

Seeing the guilt come over the woman’s face, Magnus didn’t even need Lily to speak to know what she wanted to say.

“Let me guess. Alec wants me to send him home,” he asked, nodding sadly to himself when he saw the acknowledgement in her face.

He couldn’t even say for certain, why he had kept Alec here, except for the fact that he had simply been unable to send him home. He’d struggled with the group date invites, desperately wanting to spend more time with the man but scared to at the same time.

The single date had been out of the question. He wasn’t sure he could handle long periods in Alec’s company with no one else around to distract them. Just the thought of it terrified him. 

He had thought about the group date though, knowing it would give Magnus more time to look at the man and hear him talk, without getting lost in the pull he felt with him. 

In the end, though, he had chickened out. He had seen the confusion and growing anger in the man’s face when he had called out his name at the last rose ceremony, and Magnus knew he wasn’t happy. 

For a brief moment, he thought he was going to be rejected on camera when Alec hadn’t immediately responded to Magnus’s offer of a rose. In the end, though, the innate decency Magnus sensed in Alec had won out, protecting Magnus from that embarrassment. In return, Magnus had decided to not invite him on a date. 

Now, it seems, Lily was here to make sure he did at this rose ceremony what he was supposed to do at the last.

“I’m really sorry, Magnus. I thought if the two of you met and there was something there, he’d be ok with staying, but it turns out I was wrong.”

Wanting to reassure her, Magnus sent her a small, self-deprecating smile.

“It’s quite possible there was only something on my side. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“No, that’s not it,” Lily told him earnestly.

“He definitely felt something when he met you. Trust me, I’ve known Alec for a really long time, and you definitely made an impression.

As much as Magnus wanted to believe her, he couldn’t help but focus on why she was here to see him in the first place.

“That’s sweet of you to say, dear, but if that were true, I doubt he’d be so insistent on me sending him home.”

“Actually, that’s probably made him more insistent. He’s not very good at letting people in.”

At her words, Magnus felt disappointment settle deep in his belly. He’d been in a situation before where he was more emotionally invested than his partner, and it had hurt him badly. He wasn’t willing to put himself in that situation again.

“It’s no problem, Lily. I’ll send him home, and he can return to whatever he was doing before he got here. No harm, no foul.”

“Thank you, Magnus. And I am sorry,” she told him, a sad and regretful smile on her face.

Slipping on his mask of indifference, Magnus gave her a bright smile.

“It’s a non-issue. Consider it done.”

He had promised to send Alec home, and he would do it. He couldn’t help but feel a little sad though, for what could have been. He had never reacted to someone the way he had with Alec, and truth be told, he didn’t think he wanted to have one again. 

Hopefully, one day, he would be happily settled in a relationship, and he would struggle to remember who Alec Lightwood was, but for right now, the knowledge of what he was about to do simply made him sad, even as he felt the thrill of excitement at seeing him again.

Beside him, Simon’s attention was diverted to his headset briefly, before he turned to smile at Magnus.

“It’s time to head in. You ready?”

“One thing you should know, Simon. I’m always ready for a party,” and with that, Magnus strode up the path and into the party, confidence pouring off of him. And if he was the only one who knew it was fake, well no one but him ever had to know.

“Magnus, I was wondering if I could steal a moment of your time?”

Magnus had been having a wonderful time at the cocktail party. He had been ensuring to spend time with everyone, trying to make everyone felt seen and heard by him. The one exception to this had been Alec. After exchanging a brief smile with the man, Magnus had ensured to leave him alone, not wanting to put any further pressure on him.

Now, he turned to see said man standing directly behind him, a warm smile on his face, and his hand held out to the side in an invitation to step away from his current group. Magnus froze for a brief moment, his breath caught in his chest and his nerve endings suddenly coming alive under his skin.

“Uh, yeah.” 

As Alec turned and walked away, Magnus quickly knocked back the rest of his drink. He once again found himself struggling to find his trademark cool. He’d never felt nerves like this with someone before, and he couldn’t say he particularly enjoyed it. That being said, he couldn’t deny that he felt completely alive whenever he was in the Alec’s presence.

As they stepped outside, Alec led the way to one of the couches over near the pool, where Magnus could see a camera crew set up waiting. Magnus’s eyes kept drifting over to Alec, unable to stop wondering just why he had asked to talk privately with Magnus.

He smiled in response to Alec’s smile and sitting down, decided to sit back and let Alec take the lead, confident the man simply wanted to ensure that this time he would be sent home. Magnus supposed it was only reasonable seeing as how it hadn’t gone the way Alec wanted last week, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that this was going to be their last interaction.

“So, I wanted to take a moment with you and check in. We haven’t had a chance to talk this week, and I didn’t want to go into the rose ceremony without taking the opportunity,” Alec began.

“Well, it’s been a busy week, but I’m glad you sought me out. I think communication is important and I want you to feel comfortable going forward in this process,” Magnus said, trying to reassure him, without letting on to the camera’s situated around them.

He could only assume the message got across to as he watched Alec’s shoulders drop, the man visibly relaxing in front of him, before his face lit up with the most gorgeous smile Magnus had ever seen.

Feeling his heart start racing, as was becoming common around Alec, Magnus began casting about for an excuse to step away, when Alec spoke up again, seemingly happy to chat now that he knew he would get what he wanted.

“So, you said you run a nightclub, Pandemonium?. From what my sister has told me, it’s the hottest place in NY. I guess that mean’s your pretty comfortable in social situations like this, huh?” Alec asks him, indicating the party still happening inside.

“Pretty comfortable, yeah,” Magnus answered, settling back with a hesitant smile. He was more than willing to take whatever time Alec was willing to give him.

“I take it your not?” He asked.

“Noooo,” Alec replied, drawing out the answer dramatically, giving a shake of his head for extra effect.

“No, I am not what you would call a social person. More than one person has called me a grumpy, isolated bastard,” Alec said with a gentle laugh.

Chuckling in response, Magnus tried to fight the idea, that this ordinary, everyday conversation was the most fascinating discussion he had had in months, possibly even years. Scared to examine all this too closely, he decided to just go with whatever this was.

“I can’t imagine that. You seem positively charming to me. Definitely an A+ in flirting if I was grading you.”

“Oh really?” Alec answered with a smile.

“Well, I’m afraid that’s just you. I usually don’t flirt, and I certainly don’t do it well. You must bring something out in me.”

“Well I’m not complaining,” Magnus confesses, testing out one of his trademark flirtation smiles on the blue-eyed angel. Seeing said eyes flare in response, Magnus couldn’t help but acknowledge the thrill that ran through him at the confirmation that this attraction wasn’t one-sided.

“So tell me about this travel writing gig,” Magnus says, settling back into the chair and forgetting all about the camera’s surrounding them, his attention entirely on Alec.

“Well, I got into it by accident actually. Couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with my life, so I decided to take off backpacking for a year, escape all the questions.”

“And that led to a career?” Magnus asked charmed.

“When I run away from the questions in my life, it generally leads to more questions,” he told him with a wide smile.

Magnus remained completely entranced as Alec laughed in response and continued talking, telling Magnus all about his blog and how it led to interest from a variety of different magazines, all of whom had been interested in getting him on contract by the time he returned. As Alec shared some stories from his first year of travel, Magnus shared a few of his own in response, drawing a beautiful laugh out of Alec when he told him about getting kicked out of Peru. Magnus knew he would be hearing that laugh in his dreams tonight. 

Noticing Simon out of the corner of his eye, frantically signalling time, Magnus suddenly became aware that he and Alec had been taking way beyond the 15 mins limit they generally asked him to keep to. Not quite ready to say goodbye just yet, Magnus gave a small nod to let Simon know he’d seen him, before turning back to Alec.

He couldn’t help but notice that Alec had stiffened up slightly, as he looked around at the camera’s too. He realised then that he wasn’t the only one who had lost himself in their conversation. He desperately wanted to ask Alec to stay tonight, but he’d already done that once, and it hadn’t gone over well. This time he decided he would stick to the plan, no matter how much he thought he would end up regretting it. In the meantime, he tried to draw out their time together just a minute longer.

“So Alec, is that your full name?”

Giving him a quizzical look at the abrupt change of conversation, Alec responded with a shrug.

“Actually, it’s Alexander, but no one calls me that.”

Leaning forward into Alec’s space, Magnus let his usual confidence in his charms take over.

Placing his hand on Alec’s leg, just above his knee, Magnus felt an excited thrill at the hitch he heard in the man’s breath.

“Well, Alexander, now somebody does,” he told him softly, before standing up to walk away, wanting to be the one to leave the impression this time.

He was only a few feet away, though, when Alec called out, causing him to stop and look back.

Watching as Alec stood himself and began walking over to him, he watched spellbound as he stepped up close.

“Just so you know - I like it when you call me Alexander. And I’m happy to stay around as long as you want me to. I think this could be fun,” 

And with that, Alec leaned in and gave Magnus a kiss to the cheek, before walking away to rejoin the party.

Magnus was frozen on the spot as Alec walked away, the excitement from that small contact flooding him.

“Magnus. Magnus!”

Turning with a dazed look to see Simon trying to get his attention, Magnus pulled himself together and spoke.

“Simon, when’s that rose ceremony? I’ve got a rose to give.”

**Twenty minutes later.**

“Alec.”

Magnus watched carefully as Alexander stepped forward to stand in front of Magnus, the man’s eyes never leaving his own.

“Alexander, will you accept this rose?”

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is! Alec is in and willing to stay, but don’t think that means smooth sailing for our boys.  
> Comments and kudo’s give me joy and inspire me to keep writing so leave one below if you haven’t already and let me know what you think.  
> This story is being written as I go, so if there is something you want to see, let me know and I’ll try and work it into the story.  
> I have been trying to aim for weekly updates, but if they all work out this long, it may be more week and a half/two weekly updates, as I work, and have life responsibilities, as well as a few other stories I am focusing on.  
> Thanks for your understanding.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet  
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim  
> Jordan   
> Jarrod


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, each chapter will focus on a week within the show. We will be getting some time with Alec at the mansion, sometimes with Magnus at his place, as well as some time with each group date and every single date, as well as the rose ceremony. The dates will only be the main focus; however, when Alec is involved in them. For example, if Magnus selects Alec for a single date, we will spend a fair amount of time on that date and only a small amount on the group date. If however, the single date is with another contestant, and Alec is on the group date, we will spend most of our time on the group date also. For the sake of the story, Alec will typically be involved in at least one of these dates, though there will be one or two that he isn't in. I know this is not entirely realistic, but it's a story, and I don't really want to spend a lot of time writing about Magnus on dates with other people, and I'm guessing you all don't really want to read that either.
> 
> As the number of dates/contestants dwindle down, this format will change somehow, but I'll give you a heads up when it does. A full list of the dates left are in the end notes.
> 
> In the meantime, please enjoy.

"So Alec, is that your full name?" Magnus asked, leaning in closer.

Already off-balance as he remembered the camera's around them, Alec felt confused at the change of conversation.

"Actually, it's Alexander, but no one calls me that." 

No one calls him that for good reason, Alec thought. It was widely known among his circle of family and friends, how much Alec disliked his full name. As a child, he had refused to answer to it if someone had dared use it. His stubbornness had prompted his parents to drop it from official school forms when Alec began ignoring his teachers at the beginning of each school year, while they learned to use Alec instead. He wasn't even sure why he was telling Magnus what it was now. Usually, if someone asked, he simply told them it was just Alec.

He loses his train of thought when Magnus's hand comes down above his knee. As tingles radiated out from under the man's hand, racing across his whole body, he feels his breath catch before he forces it out in a shaky breath. 

"Well, Alexander, now somebody does," Magnus murmurs, his voice almost seeming to reach out and caress Alec as he delights in the way his name sounds.

He doesn't notice for a second as Magnus gets up and begins to walk away, as he flashes back a few months to a different conversation. Not sure exactly if he is doing the smart thing, Alec looked up and seeing Magnus turning away, quickly called out.

As he walked over to the man, Alec didn't think about what he was going to say. He just knew that he couldn't let it end like this.

"Just so you know - I like it when you call me Alexander. And I'm happy to stay around as long as you want me to. I think this could be fun," 

Wanting to feel those sparks again, and perhaps give them back to the man who was causing such confusion inside him, he leaned forward to kiss his cheek, the softness of Magnus's skin and scent drifting from him, seizing Alec's attention and bringing thoughts to his mind and body that he certainly didn't want to be captured on camera!

Stepping back, he quickly walked away before he could embarrass himself. He was barely back in the reception room before he felt his arm taken at the elbow, and someone pulls him off to the side.

Dazedly, he realised it was Charnze who had pulled him aside, and into a group with Semi, Lucas, Josh, Camille, Silvana and a quiet woman, Alec thinks is called Becca.

"That was quite some talk you had with Magnus man! You think you did enough to get a rose?"

"We'll see, I guess," Alec replies, still dazed.

**Twenty minutes later.**

Alec isn't sure what had happened exactly. When he'd pulled Magnus aside earlier, he'd wanted to ensure he was planning on sending him home tonight. Yet somehow, he'd instead promised to stay on the show for as long as Magnus wanted him. 

It was that damn name thing! The way that 'Alexander' had rolled off of Magnus's tongue like that, had electrified him. 

He hadn't even properly processed what he was about to do before he was jumping up to stop Magnus from leaving and offering to stay. He only knew that Phillipe had been right and that he wasn't yet ready to walk away from whatever this was. 

Now here he was at another damn rose ceremony, eyes locked with Magnus's as he, and everyone else, waited for the ceremony to start.

"Alec."

Hearing his name as the first called out, Alec knows he's started something he will no longer be able to stop. That's not to say he still wouldn't be able to leave if he wanted. He knows neither Lily nor Magnus would keep him here against his will. It's more that he understands now that he has given in. To what exactly, he isn't sure, but while he's not yet running toward this attraction to Magnus, he's no longer running away from it either.

Stepping forward through the crowd of other hopeful dates, Alec keeps his eyes locked onto Magnus's as he moves to stand in front of the man, unable or unwilling to look away.

"Alexander, will you accept this rose?"

"Absolutely."

As Magnus looks down to pin Alec's rose to him, Alec continues to study the other man's face, searching for any hint that he is not in this alone.

As Magnus finally looks up, Alec sees the reciprocated fear and uncertainty in his eyes, but he also sees hope within their golden brown depths, as this gives Alec the reassurance he needs.

Lingering just a second too long as they exchange kisses to the cheek once more, Alec takes in a deep breath, drawing Magnus's scent deep into his lungs, letting himself become intoxicated by it. 

As he steps over to the other side of the Dias, waiting alone until more rose recipients join him, he drops the internal questions of whether he is doing the right thing, and decides to just ride with it. 

He's faced the unknown more times than he can remember in his travels and thrilled in it every time, even when it was accompanied by fear or uncertainty. This was no different, he tells himself. Certainly, not every one of those experiences had ended positively, but there was none of them he regretted. 

He could only hope he wouldn't come to regret this one too.

Alec was only slightly aware of other's joining him on his side of the dias, never really coming back to the present until Michael was coming in to tell Jordan, it was time for him to say goodbye.

Not having really spent a lot of time with the man, Alec gave him a brief sympathetic smile before moving to the back of the group and letting himself be shuffled back to the main room.

His thoughts rambling loudly in his head, he avoided people's attempts at conversation and all attempts by Magnus and Lily to make eye contact, the irony not lost on him that their positions had reversed from their last rose ceremony. As soon as he was able, he retreated quickly to the safety and security of his room, wanting just to shower and go to bed, hoping that his thoughts will be clearer in the morning.

Magnus was no longer sure what was up and what was down. He had spent the entire night tossing and turning, his interaction with Alec out by the pool playing over and over in his head.

He was now seated at his kitchen table, head cradled in one hand, while his other was curled around his much-needed cup of coffee.

Even taking out the mystery of why Alec had changed his mind about staying on the show so suddenly, the effect that the blue-eyed man had on him had Magnus on edge. 

He couldn't remember ever being affected by someone like this before. He was known for being the one in control at the start of romantic liaisons, his natural charm and flirtatious nature usually leaving others bumbling, just as he liked it. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, he wasn't sure what to do.

He couldn't deny he enjoyed the thrill. Every interaction with Alexander was indelibly burned in his brain, leaving him playing over every word and expression for hidden meaning. 

He couldn't help but feel a little guilty, as he certainly was not this focused on the other dates, as wonderful as they all were. He wasn't able to help himself, though, and that was what scared him.

The simple fact that he had never felt like this before, that he was so singularly focused on Alexander, surely meant that the blue-eyed angel had the power to hurt him more than anyone else. 

Imasu had broken his heart and left him hiding from love for years, and they had dated for months before Magnus even considered calling the relationship serious. If his reactions to Alexander so far where any indication, he had the power to completely cripple Magnus.

Seeing Simon step through the door with his trusted shoulder bag, he watched with an amused smile on his face as the man dumped his bag at the table before stepping into the kitchen to grab his own much-needed cup of coffee.

"Good morning Magnus, how are you? Oh, well I'm fine, Simon. Thank you so much for asking. Oh, course, Magnus. As you know, I am here to help you and advise you in any way I can, starting of course with common manners," Magnus monologues sarcastically, his words softened by the amused chuckle and wide grin that accompanied them.

His chuckle only grew when Simon blinked owlishly at him from behind the glasses. With a small shake of his head, Simon seemed to come back to himself, realising what he had done, he walked over to join Magnus at the table with his own coffee.

"Sorry, Magnus. I had a long night last night working and setting some stuff up. I apologise. How are you this morning?"

"It's quite alright, Simon. I was just playing with you. I'm fine, though, thank you."

"Great!" Simon answers, taking a sip of his coffee before reaching into his book bag to pull out his two trusty folders.

"So, this week's dates! What are we doing, and who are we doing it with?"

"I want to take Alec on the single date," Magnus says quickly, wanting to get it out before he loses his nerve.

"A-Alec?" Simon stutters out before a sly smile comes over the man's face.

"You went and developed a little thing for Alec, didn't you?" Simon says, his smile only growing till it threatened to take over his face.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Simon. I am here to get to know people and take them out on dates, and that is what I'm doing."

"Uh, huh," Simon teasingly replies.

"Well, all I know is that as of yesterday, Alec was more than eager to go home, then the two of you talk out by the pool, surrounded by soft lighting, exchanging travel stories and all of a sudden he's willing to stay, and you are wandering around with heart eyes."

Magnus gives a soft grimace in response to Simon's teasing before his amusement falls away and he looks over at the other man worriedly.

"Am I making a mistake, Simon?" Magnus asked quietly.

At Magnus's question, Simon looks up from where he was flipping through his folder, to study Magnus. Eventually, he sits up and pushes his chair back slightly before opening his mouth to speak.

"No, you're not. Look I'm not going to pretend I know Alec really well. My best friend dates his best friend. We've spent some time together, but with his travel, not all that much. Nevertheless, I can tell you with absolute certainty that he's one of the good guys.

He's a little hard to get to know," Simon continues, "but he is utterly devoted to his family and friends, and he does the right thing because it's the right thing, not because someone's watching him do it."

Magnus is feeling altogether pleased with his decision to keep Alec on when Simon speaks again.

"Just . . . Just be careful though, alright? He's not altogether good at being open and vulnerable. He's a good guy, but . . . Just be careful," Simon finishes with a small smile and a slight frown.

His fears once again flaring with Simon's words, Magnus swallows down the urge to change his single date to someone else instead. 

"On to business though," Simon says brightly.

"Where do you want to take Alec on your single date?"

"I don't know," Magnus says nervously. 

"What would you suggest?"

At his question, Simon sits back consideringly.

"Something physical. Alec is definitely into the physical."

Realising what he had just said and the way it might be taken, Magnus watches with amusement as Simon colours and begins stammering out a correction.

"I mean, he enjoys physical pursuits, exerting himself physically, I mean — like sports! Physical endurance and stamina, things like that. He like, did an endurance course last year and it was amazing! He was able to go for hours!" As Simon realises he's once again put his foot in his mouth, he groans and puts his hands over his face, hiding his face away in embarrassment.

Magnus meanwhile found his mind wholly entranced by the image that Simon's words brought to mind. Fidgeting uncomfortably in his chair and he discretely adjusted himself before looking back at Simon.

"Let's move onto the group date, come back to Alec after."

"Your wish is my command," Simon says, raising his head from his hands and putting a professional smile on his face. 

"So what do you want to do for your group date?"

"I don't know!" Magnus whined dramatically, before throwing his head onto his folded arms on the table.

Alec couldn't stop wondering what exactly he is in for, as he sat in the back of the car driving him to his date. 'Let's get high together before we add a little pressure' was the terrible pun that accompanied the single date card, and for the life of him he couldn't puzzle it out.

It had been a strange morning so far, as Charnze and Semi had both eagerly speculated on what he might be doing on his date. The best they had come up with so far was hot air ballooning, which Alec was praying they had wrong. 

The nerves and anxiety running through his body demanded some kind of physical release of energy, and he was not going to get that standing in some basket, high above the ground.

He was somewhat relieved when a couple of hours before the date, he had been told to pull on comfortable clothes that he could easily move and sweat in.

He was a little confused as to why both Charnze and Semi were so excited for him. Certainly, nobody else had been, though to be fair, most had handled themselves politely, quietly congratulating Alec before moving away. Those who had scored themselves a place on the group date had been quite gracious, including Semi and Charnze, though they had undoubtedly been the most effervescent. 

Camille, who had missed out on both dates this week, had been particularly bitter, giving Alec a withering look before commenting that it only made sense that Magnus would want to be absolutely certain before sending him home. 

This had caused a shared chuckle from both Silvana and Becca, though Becca had at least had the sense to be slightly ashamed when she saw Alec looking. John and George had also found Camille's comment amusing, however, exchanging smiles with Camille and Silvana when they thought Alec wasn't looking.

Charnze had simply given Camille a sympathetic look, before commenting that jealousy caused wrinkles and she really couldn't afford to give in to that particular emotion too much, causing Semi to smother a laugh before turning away. 

The two boys had then pulled Alec away after the group date announcement to prepare dinner with Alec in the kitchen. Kim and Brianna coming to join them, claiming they wanted to get away from the toxic females of Camille, Silvana and Felicity, all of whom were arguing over who had the best chance of securing a proposal at the end of the show.

The five of them had decided to prepare a BBQ, marinating some meat and preparing some vegetable kebabs and shucking some corn to put on the grill. Making some salads to go along with it, Alec really enjoyed getting to know Kim and Brianna a little better, not having spent much time with either of them so far.

Kim was tough as nails, with a hint of vulnerability hiding underneath the tough veneer. She was funny, sarcastic, and wasn't shy about raising her opinion, and Alec found himself enjoying a verbal spar with her on a variety of topics.

Brianna, on the other hand, was full of life. She spoke quickly, constantly excited about what she was going to say, and eager to say it. Unlike most talkers though, Alec was relieved to find that she was also more than capable of listening, finding her to have a sympathetic ear to others, especially Semi, who they all seemed to be getting quite protective of.

Semi, was a sweet kid, one of the youngest of the dates at only 25 years old, but one who had big dreams and was already well on the way to achieving them. Alec knew how hard it could be to break into the creative field, despite his apparent stumbling into it. It was full of people who wanted to tell you no or tell you that you had to change who you are to be truly successful. Semi must have a strong backbone, despite his sweet nature, because when they'd told him to change, he'd simply decided to make his films on his own. 

Despite himself, Alec was growing quite fond of the kid and hoped that no matter what the outcome of this show, they could remain in touch.

The same went for Charnze actually. The footballer was like a giant, excitable Labrador puppy. Loving life, and eternally loyal to those he liked. The guy didn't have a genuinely mean bone in his body, though he was great with the sarcastic comebacks. 

He beat himself up though, if they fell too harshly, as one did with Semi the week before. 

Charnze had made a sarcastic, jokey comment about Janet getting make-up tips off Semi when the woman had lamented that it was not her strength, preferring to go au-natural. Charnze had joked that Semi pulled off the feminine look better than most of the women, obviously having many years of practice applying make-up.

Semi, over-hearing the comment, had taken it to heart, having been bullied previously for wearing make-up, something seen as inherently female. Charnze, seeing Semi's response had rushed to apologise and explain that he liked his look, and saw nothing wrong in men celebrating their femininity. 

The night had ended in Semi doing Charnze's make-up, as well as Janet's and Lisa's, who had also wanted lessons. Alec and Josh had begged off being experimented on but had happily sat by to offer their thoughts after. Alec had to admit, that Semi had some serious skill, all three coming out looking amazing.

Alec brought his thoughts back to the present when he felt the car pull up. As he stepped out, he saw a large warehouse-type building in front of him, a couple of stories high, but seeing no signage, he was still clueless as to what they would be doing. 

As a production assistant gets out of the front seat and leads Alec through a side door, he sees Magnus standing waiting for him at the end of a hallway. 

He can't help but return the smile the man is sending him. His eyes run over Magnus's body, taking in the tight black yoga pants, the man was wearing that did nothing to hide the muscles in his legs or the impressive package sitting between them. 

Not wanting to focus there too much when there were others around to see them, Alec let his gaze continue to drift up to the dark red bodybuilding tank he was wearing above, becoming immediately distracted by the impressive shoulders and arms that were temptingly on display.

Wondering how exactly he could come up with a valid excuse to touch the man and see just how firm those muscles were, he couldn't help but wonder how exactly a nightclub owner could gain a physique as Magnus had. 

"Like what you see, darling?" Magnus asked a self-satisfied smirk on his face at Alec's noticeable drooling.

Knowing there was no way to deny his obvious attraction, Alec decided to just roll with it.

"How could I not? You're basically every fantasy I've ever had."

It was then his turn to smirk as Magnus's eyes flared and he drew in a sharp breath. For a brief moment, Alec wondered if the other man was going to kiss him, as Magnus's body drifted forward slightly before he visibly checked himself and stepped back.

"Like I said, an A+ in flirting, Alexander."

Chuckling, Alec gave Magnus a broad smile in response.

"So what are we doing today?" Alec asked.

"Well, in checking out your own impressive physique, I have deduced that you like being fit and active, so I thought I'd set us a bit of a physical challenge,"

"Do tell," Alec bantered back.

At that, Magnus stepped back and waved his hand at something around the corner, where Alec couldn't see.

"We're going rock wall climbing," he tells Alec with a flourish.

Magnus watches as Alec turns the corner and sees the 50ft rock climbing walls in front of them, happiness washing over him as he sees the huge grin spread over Alec's face.

His happiness only increases as Alec turns back and beams at him, filled with joy at the plan for their day.

"This is excellent! The other's were all guessing hot air ballooning or something, but this is fantastic!"

"I take it that is something I should not consider for you sometime in the future," Magnus says, laughing in amusement.

"It's not really me," Alec explains sheepishly.

"I have actually gone hot air ballooning before, doing a dawn fly over once, and it was lovely. Just sedate. I don't really do great standing still."

"Noted, though I should tell you, our afternoon will be sedate, and I am not changing it, no matter how gorgeous you are or how often you bat those beautiful blues at me."

"These blues?" Alec asked suggestively, comically batting his unfairly long lashes at Magnus.

"That would be them, yes," he replied, ignoring the slight flutter in his chest at Alec's teasing.

They both stand silently for a moment, looking at each other until Alec clears his throat uncomfortably and steps back.

"So what sedate activity are we taking part in this afternoon?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Magnus tells him, before turning away to try to gather some semblance of self-control. Right now, the urge to grab Alec by the grey hoodie he was wearing and pull him in for what Magnus was sure would be the hottest kiss of his life was nearly overwhelming. And who knows where that kiss would lead?

Knowing it was too early to be thinking those sort of thoughts, and knowing they were entirely inappropriate for their current situation, Magnus made a determined effort to move on, leading Alec into the room where an instructor waited to take them through the basics and get them suited up.

Magnus forced himself to pay attention to what Mark, their instructor, was telling them, having never climbed a rock wall before and not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Alec.

He lost all focus, however, when Alec stripped off his grey zip-up hoodie and loose black gym pants.

Magnus literally felt himself begin salivating as he took in Alec's long black shorts and the black sleeveless pullover hoodie underneath. 

Everything about the man screamed masculine perfection to Magnus; the impressive breadth of his shoulders, the muscles shaping his legs and arms, even the hint of chest hair he could see peeking out of the vee of his hoodie. 

Catching him looking, Alec returned Magnus's earlier smirk before repeating his words back to him.

"Like what you see?"

The ability to make words having left him, Magnus continued to stare at him blankly until he saw Mark reach down between Alec's legs to adjust the harness after Alec had stepped into it. 

Seeing red, he adjusted his gaze to turn to glare at the instructor, jealous that he had a reason to get that close to Alec and he didn't.

Mark remained completely unaware of his glare, until, finishing with Alec, he turned to face Magnus. Taking a quick step back under the sheer force of it, he then hesitantly stepped forward again, holding a second harness out for Magnus to step into.

"Your turn," he said, an uncertain and hesitant smile on his face. 

After giving a brief look at the camera's filming this all, Magnus schooled his expression into something a little less antagonistic. He stepped in, keeping his face calm as the man continued to do up and tighten his harness until he caught sight of Alec's face.

Seeing the way he was trying desperately to swallow down laughter, Magnus turned his glare to Alec instead.

"Oh, shut up!" He shot at him, his glare turning to a reluctant grin when his comment caused Alec to burst out into laughter.

That grin melted into softness, however, when, after Mark stepped back, Alec stepped forward to whisper in Magnus's ear.

"Quit worrying so much. You're the sexiest thing I've ever laid eyes on. I'm not looking at anyone but you."

Magnus felt utterly powerless at the sudden pull he felt for Alexander. Everything in him screamed at him to take hold of the man and never let go.

"Right back at you," Magnus breathed back, the two of them once again forgetting about everyone and everything around them. 

Magnus wasn't sure how long had passed when he heard Simon clear his throat slightly behind them, but he knew whatever time it was, it wasn't nearly enough for him to get his fill of Alexander.

Alec was having the time of his life! He'd once again forgotten all about the camera's following them, and was completely swept up in the light, teasing banter between him and Magnus, and the physical exertion of the climb. 

Getting to perve on rippling muscles under Magnus's exposed skin was a welcome bonus too.

"I'm impressed, Magnus! I didn't get close to this height my first climb," Alec calls down to where Magnus is currently searching for a new handhold, about 2 feet below Alec.

At his words, Magnus looks up somewhat witheringly.

"Say's the man who isn't even out of breath," Magnus huffs out.

Alec smiles at the man's words, as he finds a secure point to rest the weight off his hands, and take a moment to watch the muscle ripple in Magnus's shoulders.

The two of them had started out with Top Roping, using harnesses and anchored ropes to safely climb, with gym assistants acting as belayers below them.

Having mastered that wall, they had taken a 20-minute water break before trying their skill at Bouldering (essentially climbing freely without any ropes or harnesses).

They had started with a 20-foot wall, moving to a 30-foot and were now testing their skill on another 50-foot wall.

Alec was genuinely impressed with Magnus's skill, the man's strength and intelligence, allowing him to work well to climb the wall and find his way easily among the problems (routes) on the wall.

Starting to feel the burn on his calves, Alec turns his attention back to the wall and begins climbing again. A couple of minutes later, Alec is happily surprised when he looks over and see's Magnus coming up strong on his left, his head just below Alec's shoulder.

Shooting him a competitive grin, Alec lets him draw even.

"Wanna race to the top?"

As Magnus looks up to take in the 15 feet left above them, he takes a quick breath before sending his own grin back to Alec.

"Let's go, Handsome!" 

Alec feels joy bursting in his chest, as well as the drastic need to draw a really large breath, as he races to the top. He gets there just slightly ahead of Magnus but pauses till Magnus gets to just within reach before tapping the sensor at the top.

"I win," he says simply.

Magnus draws in a breathless laugh, as he good-naturedly acknowledges Alec's victory. Feeling his muscle start to protest at the exertion he's put them through, he quickly turns back to Alec.

"So,' he says breathlessly, "now to get down."

"Now to get down," Alec repeats.

"You ready, Bane?"

"In a minute," Magnus replies, his chest heaving and a slight tremble in his arms.

Seeing the tremble repeating in his legs, Alec drops the teasing, realising he needs to get the other man down to the ground soon.

"Actually, we need to start moving now. Pausing in a climb when you're not used to it can cause your muscle to cramp and give out. I'm going to head slightly below you and help direct you down, ok?" Alec tells him, keeping his eye on Magnus as he quickly starts to move below and to the side of the other man, knowing better than to place himself directly below him.

Recognising that he was more tired than he initially thought, Magnus was grateful that Alec was going to help guide him down, though he hated the idea of appearing weak in front of him.

He was grateful to have Alec's calm, reassuring voice guiding him down the wall, one step at a time, alerting him to the variety of 'rocks' below him, and reminding him to keep his body close to the wall and lower his centre of gravity.

As he gratefully placed his first foot back on the ground, he was slightly shocked to feel Alec's hands grasp his waist, unsure if he's unsteadiness when he had both feet on the ground was due to muscle exertion or the touch of the other man.

"Thanks," he said, looking over his shoulder and into eyes his new favourite shade of blue.

"No problem," Alec replied softly, his fingers tightening briefly on Magnus's hips before he cleared his throat and stepped back, his hands falling aimlessly to his side.

"So guys, are we ready to move on to the next step of this date? We're running a little behind, but I got them to push the reservation for us," Simon tells them, looking down at his phone as he walks over to them.

As Magnus and Alec shake off their broken moment, Alec focuses on Simon's last words.

"Reservation?"

"Our sedate activity," Magnus reminded him with a gentle smile.

"A massage?" Alec exclaimed, surprise clear in his voice.

"Absolutely," Magnus replies, before demurely adding "besides after that climb, I'm afraid for me it's become less or a luxury and more a necessity."

Smiling, Magnus watches covertly as Alec's laughter lights up his face, a wide grin crinkling the corners of his eyes adorably. Not wanting to tear his gaze away this time, knowing that it'll only be drawn back the next time Alec does something adorable, Magnus turns to look directly at the man in front of him.

"Ready to get pampered, Alexander?" 

Intrigued at the small body shiver that runs across Alec at his words, Magnus holds out his hand for the other man to take, grasping it tightly when he does.

Ten minutes later, Magnus is lying on a massage table, a towel across his rear, exchanging small talk with the masseurs, who will be rubbing Alec and himself down, and stretching out all those muscles that they'd used earlier. 

While he waits, he keeps his eyes locked on the door that Alec will enter the room from. It's a little disconcerting to find that the ten minutes they've been apart is enough for Magnus to miss him. 

He feels his heart rate accelerate when Alec eventually steps into the room, a towel wrapped around his slim hips, the seductive V shape on display before it disappeared under the small expanse of white. Magnus watches as Alec becomes aware of his gaze and a beautiful blush blooms on the writer's cheeks in response, before slowly moving down his throat and gracing his upper chest.

Wondering the many different ways he could make that blush appear on the other man's body, Magnus redirects his gaze, grateful that he was already laying on his stomach and therefore obscuring any physical response he cannot control.

As Alec settles down onto his own table, Magnus surrenders himself to his overwhelming awareness of Alec and let's go of his resistance in this moment.

"So, Alexander, do you approve of our sedate afternoon activity?" 

"Oh God, yes," Alec groans as his masseur starts to immediately work his shoulders.

Sending a disapproving frown at the man currently digging his hands into Alec's bare skin, Magnus lets himself submerge into his own bliss, as his own masseur begins to knead out his muscles also.

'Oh, I needed this," Magnus whimpers, as the man works on a particularly tight knot just below his shoulder blade.

"I am not going to disagree," Alec drawled with a soft chuckle.

For the next ten minutes, silence descends as the two men relax under the talented hands of the masseurs above them.

Eventually, Alec started talking again, drawing Magnus out of the soft fantasies he had been enjoying, imagining it was Alec's hands moving over his body.

"So, what made you decide to do this?"

"The massage?" Magnus answered.

"I chose a massage because I thought, after our wall activities, it would be a good idea to ensure we can walk tomorrow. Plus, I always enjoy having someone's hands on me," he teased, throwing Alec a wink that sent the man blushing again.

"I meant the show, but thanks for that visual," Alec moaned.

Magnus buried his head back into the face rest of the table as he swallowed back a snicker, enjoying the fact that he apparently had just as much of an effect on Alec as he had on him.

"The show," he said, "well there's a loaded question. I get excited about new experiences, I guess."

"That's my line," Alec responded with a smile, turning his head to look directly at Magnus.

"Seriously. What made you do it?"

"I'm serious, I like new experiences, and meeting new people," Magnus told him.

"Ok, why did you decide to keep me on? Why invite me on this date?" Alec asked, obviously on the hunt for information.

"You're a new person. I enjoyed meeting you."

"Are you always so cryptic?" 

"I'm not being cryptic, I'm being coy," Magnus told him flirtatiously.

"Let me spell it out for you," he continued, turning his head to look at Alec, meeting those blue eyes and once more forgetting there were others in the room. 

"I wanted to see you again."

He saw confusion come over Alec's face as he took in Magnus's words.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why'd you stay?" Magnus shot back.

"I'm not sure," Alec told him softly.

Wondering how honest he wanted to be in this conversation, how vulnerable he was willing to be, Magnus spoke again.

"For years now," Magnus confided, "I've closed myself off to feeling anything for anyone, man or woman. You've unlocked something in me, Alexander."

Waiting for a response was torture for Magnus. He desperately wanted to hear that he had unsettled Alec's life as much as he had unsettled Magnus's. 

"I'm not sure what to do with that," Alec confessed.

"You've got time to figure it out," Magnus reassured him.

As both men turned their faces back to the face port on their table, their words hang heavy with expectation and optimism, both of them feeling the possibilities in front of them.

The rest of the massage passed by peacefully, the two exchanging nothing more than small talk, passing the time learning those little, unimportant things that make up a person. Preferred music and books, favourite colour, what movies made them laugh, which made them cry, their families make-ups and anything else that occurred to them.

At the end, after the two men had once again dressed, they moved to a small seating area at the rear of the spa, where they sat to enjoy a drink and one last quiet moment before they would separate.

Alec was a bundle of nerves, unable to pull his thoughts into any coherent form while Magnus sat in front of him, looking like some ethereal beauty from every one of Alec's teenage fantasies. Only, with more glitter, he thought, as he took in the expertly applied make-up the man had obviously put on when he dressed. 

Thinking he'd outshine Semi in his skills of application, Alec was slightly shocked how much he loved it on Magnus. He'd always appreciated natural beauty, not liking the way that make-up could disguise peoples expressions from him.

On Magnus, though, it seemed different. It didn't hide his emotions away or hide away those little flaws that everyone had. It merely seemed another expression of his vibrancy and beauty.

They'd continued their quiet talk, eager to learn as much about each other as they could.

Sending the camera's a quick look as they began to reset, Magnus grabbed a temporary opportunity to have get a clear answer on a question that had been needling at him. 

Covering the microphone over his lapel, he quickly indicated that Alec should do the same.

"Alexander, why did you decide to stay suddenly? I could've sworn you pulled me aside the other day to ensure I was sending you home," he said quietly.

"I did pull you aside for that," Alec responded with a wryly smile.

"I wanted to make sure after that first ceremony."

"Yet you told me you'd stay for as long as I wanted. Why?"

Alec looked at him silently for a few moments as he decided how much of an answer he wanted to give Magnus.

"You called me Alexander, and I liked it," he eventually told him.

Seeing the puzzled look on Magnus's face and knowing they didn't have a lot of time left before Simon would insist that they go back on the record, Alec expanded his answer.

"A few months ago, I was back in Honduras, gathering some more information in preparation for writing my latest book. Towards the end of it, I was staying with a friend of mine, someone I met on my very first trip, Philippe. He'd helped me out of a very bad situation my first time in Honduras, basically saved my life. As I recovered, he let me stay with him, and we became close."

Pausing slightly, he let out a small chuckle and smiled softly as he thought of his friend, prompting Magnus to wonder just how close they had become. 

Seeing the slightly jealous expression on Magnus's face, Alec directed his smile to Magnus as he shared more information.

"Philippe is almost 70 years old and like the Grandfather I've always wanted," he told him, smiling at Magnus's embarrassed expression at being caught in a wave of jealousy once again.

"Anyway, Philippe is— was a confirmed bachelor. Never having married, or even come close to it, and happy about that fact. So imagine my surprise when I turn up on his doorstep this trip to find him head over heels in love and engaged to be married. His fiancé's name is Claudia, and she is wonderful. Takes absolutely none of his crap and adores him, nearly as much as he does her."

"This is a beautiful story, and I'd love to hear more, but what does this have to do with why you chose to stay?" Magnus asked again.

"When I learned that he was engaged, I asked him how he knew that he was in love. That Claudia was the one for him. He told me, all his life he hated people who hummed. It was his biggest pet peeve, and something he could never tolerate. Then he'd met Claudia, an avid hummer, and he told me, he'd found it beautiful. His biggest pet peeve had turned into something that gave him pleasure as long as it was Claudia doing it."

Wondering where he was going with this, and scared to hope it meant what he wanted it to, Magnus drew in a shaky breath as Alec continued.

"All my life, Magnus, I have hated people calling me Alexander. I would literally ignore them when they did, refusing to acknowledge the name as mine. Yet, when you called me Alexander the other night, I liked it," he said wonderingly.

"More than liked it, I wanted to hear it again and again. I'm not saying I love you, don't freak out," Alec tells him laughingly as he looks down, missing the confused disappointment that briefly crosses over Magnus's face.

"I just know that for the first time ever, I don't hate my name on someone's lips. I know that I've never felt this kind of intense attraction for anyone before. I don't know what it all means, but I know I'm not ready to walk away from it yet."

Completely speechless at Alec's words, and their possible implications, Magnus simply reaches out and grasps Alec's hand and squeezes it, feeling his body flush warmly when he feels Alec squeeze his in return.

Clearing his throat, and seeing Simon's nod that they were back on camera, Magnus draws in a breath in an attempt to clear his head, before he reaches behind him and pulls a rose out from behind the chair he's sitting on.

"Alexander, you know what this means," he begins, holding the rose out in front of him.

"This day has been amazing, and the only way I can accept it ending is knowing it's not going to be the last amazing day we have together. So, I have to ask you, will you please accept this rose?"

"Always," Alec murmurs, reaching out and taking the rose from him.

Magnus was having a great time on this group date. When Simon had first shared the idea with him to do a photoshoot acting out famous scenes from movies, he had thought it sounded ridiculous. However, unable to come up with anything of his own, while his thoughts centred on Alec, he had agreed.

And as he exchanged shots of wet clay with Brianna, he was so glad he did! They had been recreating the famous pottery scene from the movie Ghost, both of them having been huge Patrick Swayze fans.

When Magnus had quickly pulled his hands away at the slimy feel of the clay when one of the production assistants had added more water, he had accidentally splashed Brianna with said clay. 

Knowing that most people wouldn't love being splashed with wet clay, Magnus quickly began apologising for his mistake, when he was hit with a clump of clay in the chest.

Mouth open in shock, he's felt a type of childish joy erupt at the smile on Brianna's face as she reached back to get some more.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Magnus said, reaching for some himself.

Cue, 2 minutes later and the two of them laughingly exchanging wet globs of clay while the others looked on, some in amusement, others in distaste.

Running out of clay, unless they wanted to start scooping it off the floor (and no way was Magnus ever going to admit he had already done that), the giggling two laughingly called a truce.

Wiping his own tears of laughter away, Simon approached.

"Ok Magnus, we're going to have to get you cleaned up before you can continue for the next photo shoot."

"Your wish is my command, my good Sir," Magnus declared with a sweeping bow.

He let one of the assistants start cleaning him up, and as she directed him to wardrobe for a costume change, Magnus's thoughts drifted once more to Alec, imagining what sort of scene they would have performed together.

Letting his mind move away from his current circumstances, he let his thoughts instead go to the first sex scene in Dirty Dancing. He imagined Alec in the role of Patrick Swayze and himself in the role of Baby, moving slowly around Alec, his lips and hands trailing over his powerful torso, before moving a hand down to brush over that delicious arse. Completely caught up in his fantasy, he reluctantly forced himself to refocus on the present as Simon walked into the room, angling his body slightly away from the other man as he tried to calm himself down.

"Ok, so you have the "Officer and a Gentleman scene with Semi and then the Titanic scene with Felicity. Then you can choose someone to enjoy a dinner with after, while we send everyone else back to the resort."

"Okie Dokie," Magnus says, his good humour returning. He was having too much fun to be ready for it to stop and needed a break from thinking about the intensity of his feeling regarding Alec.

"I always thought I'd look good in an officer's uniform," he told Simon with a wink, more than ready to enter another scenario.

Alec was in hell. Felicity had done nothing but crow about her 'scene' with Magnus since she had arrived home last night. Even though Brianna had won the opportunity to share a dinner afterwards, Felicity was the one who had scored the kiss, as they had acted out the ship's bow scene from Titanic. 

Sick of hearing how wonderful a kisser Magnus was, and how sure she was that she would get a proposal at the end of this show, Alec pulled himself out of his chair, deciding he would start his cooking turn early if it meant he wouldn't have to listen to Felicity's boasts anymore.

Silently and harshly, Alec began pulling out ingredients, thinking he would make his lasagne. It was his families favourite dish of his and one he had prepared many, many times. He, therefore, knew it like the back of his hand and wouldn't need to give it his full focus, something he wasn't sure he could provide at this time. 

He'd thought his single date had gone well. Really well, so why hadn't he received a kiss? 

He knew that Magnus and Camille had exchanged a kiss in their single date, the woman having declared it proudly when Felicity started boasting. 

Felicity had shut the other woman down however by replying that Camille's kiss had made such a significant impact on Magnus that he had followed up by not even inviting her on the group date that week.

That had shut Camille up slightly, but that just meant they all had to listen to Felicity more without interruption.

As he began browning the meat for the lasagne, Alec ran through his date one more time. They had laughed, and flirted, and shared significant looks, so what had happened?

Could he have done something to upset the man? Perhaps his story about Philippe had scared him, Alec mused grumpily to himself. So much for Jonathon's advice about putting himself out there, he thought.

Startled out of his thoughts by Brianna, Charnze and Semi walking into the kitchen, bitching about Felicity still going on and on, Alec refocused his thoughts on the lasagne and shot a bright smile at the group.

"Needing to escape too?" Alec asked conspiratorially.

"She never stops!" Charnze exclaims, "It's like she's never been kissed before, the way she goes on."

A small giggle escaping his lips, Semi broke in next.

"It wasn't even that great a kiss! We were all there to see it, and Magnus was definitely not into it."

"He wasn't?" Alec asked in spite of himself.

"Hell no!" Brianna laughed in reply.

"He looked so bored as he broke away."

"And he broke away, as soon as the photographer said he had the shot," Semi added.

"Right!" Brianna agreed.

Listening to the people who were rapidly becoming his friends, Alec let himself be cheered up slightly by their banter and their disparaging remarks about Felicity's kiss with Magnus.

He still wondered why Magnus had chosen not to kiss him when he was willing to kiss others, but he was more than ready to let his friends distract him for a little while, from the doubts currently plaguing him.

Magnus began searching out Alec the second he was announced into the dinner party, quickly finding the man on a lounge, seated with Charnze, Josh and Lisa. 

Strangely, Alec seemed to be avoiding his eyes, instead, keeping his focus on Michael, who was still talking about the week passed. Magnus felt a frown settle on his brow, when, upon Michael mentioned his single date with Magnus, Alec grimaced slightly before pulling on a smile.

What the hell could have happened? Magnus thought to himself. Their date had been perfect! It had been everything Magnus had hoped it would be. It's ending perfectly sealed by Alec's story at its end.

That story had given Magnus hope that he truly had found his happy ending, and he was eager to spend more time with Alec, and explore what they had together. 

As Alec's eyes finally moved to his, Magnus felt his frown melt into a soft smile, unable to give anything else when those blue eyes locked onto his. His worry fell away, as, after a brief hesitation, Alec returned the smile, affection clear in his eyes, and that adorable blush creeping back over his face.

As Michael's speech ended and we welcomed everyone to mingle, Magnus immediately moved towards Alec, briefly looking to Simon along the way, to confirm that everything was in place. Receiving a quick nod in return, Magnus moved to stand in front of the small group, all of whom rose at his approach.

"Good evening, everyone," he greeted, briefly tearing his eyes away from Alec to glance at everyone else.

"We're wonderful, Magnus. How are you?" Charnze replied, a broad smile on his eternally happy face.

"I'm great, thank you. I was —"

"Magnus! I simply must steal you away at some point tonight. I've missed spending time with you this week."

Magnus turned to see Camille standing at his side, looking beautiful in a floor-length gold gown.

"I apologise, I wasn't able to spend any time with you this week, Camille. Unfortunately, I am only able to invite so many people on a date, and I have to be fair," he explains, trying not to let his eyes drift too often to Alec.

"Oh, of course," she replied gently, her hand resting on his arm.

"I completely understand Magnus. Perhaps we can talk now?" She asked him.

Frantically casting about for an excuse to delay their talk, Magnus looked over to Alec, hoping he would intervene. Instead, he saw Alec step back from the group and excuse himself to go and get a drink.

Trying not to let his disappointment show on his face, he turned back to Camille with a bright smile painted on.

"Absolutely. Lead the way."

Alec watched as Magnus sat out in the alcove with Felicity, the woman having claimed his attention after Camille surrendered it. He couldn't deny that the jealousy that coursed through him, watching the two of them sitting close and laughing together on the couch.

He'd had a thought that Magnus had initially been coming over to ask him to talk, but, truth be told, Alec wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

The kiss, or lack of, in this case, had continued to play on his mind for the last two days. He wasn't an idiot; he knew Magnus was attracted to him. That much was obvious. But still, he hadn't kissed him. 

Alec didn't think it would bother him so much if he had also abstained from kissing others, but he knew he hadn't. He had kissed at least four of the others. As well as Camille and Felicity, Alec had learned that Magnus and Lucas had shared a kiss when recreating the pasta scene from 'Lady and the Tramp.' He'd also shared a kiss with Brianna at the end of her dinner.

Brianna, and a few others, apparently believed that he and Magnus had shared a kiss also. He had only learned about Brianna's kiss with he glittery man when, sick of Camille and Felicity's endless boasting and arguing, she had retorted that they should grow up. "You don't hear Alec, Lucas and I going on about our kisses with Magnus! Why don't you act like the adults you supposedly are!"

She had shared an exasperated look with Alec after this, but all Alec had been able to focus on was that there was yet another person who Magnus had kissed instead of him.

Watching him with Felicity now, he wondered if perhaps, despite his attraction to Alec, he simply had a stronger attraction to the others. It didn't seem possible to Alec that a stronger attraction could exist. Certainly, he'd never felt anything like this before. Then again, Magnus didn't necessarily feel the same that Alec did. Perhaps it was weaker on Magnus's side? Alec wondered.

Seeing Magnus rise from the couch beside Felicity and extend his hand out to the women, he realised they were heading back into the party. Alec watched as Magnus's eyes began casting about, the second they entered the room. 

Locking eyes with him, Alec watched as Magnus began weaving his way towards him. However, his blood felt too hot for any conversation with Magnus to be worthwhile, so breaking eye contact with him, Alec headed over to where Semi was standing with Kim and Brianna.

Magnus was unsure as to what was going on. He had been trying to get Alexander alone all night, but if it wasn't someone else trying to pull his attention away, it was Alec himself avoid time alone.

He couldn't figure it out. If they were with others, Alec seemed happy to be a part of the conversation, sharing Magnus in his jokes and giving him soft smiles and gentle laughs. However, anytime Magnus even began to talk directly to him to try and pull him away, Alec quickly changed the subject before moving away.

This was going to be his last chance. The rose ceremony was due to begin in the next 15 minutes, and despite Alec already having a rose, Magnus didn't want to enter the ceremony without having a chance to clear things with Alec first.

Seeing Alec standing once again with Charnze, Kim and Brianna, Magnus headed straight over, determined not to waste any time.

"Alec, I wondered if I could steal a moment of your time?" Magnus asked, not willing to risk even greeting the others, as much as he liked them.

Raising an eyebrow at his rudeness, Alec looked about quickly before answering.

"Sure,"

Turning around, he didn't wait for Alec to follow him, just gave a brief glance over his shoulder to ensure he was.

Once they reached the alcove, Magnus turned and waited for Alec to sit, joining him on the couch, a little closer than he needed to be, but not as close as he wanted.

"I know you already have a rose, but I wanted to check in and see how you are? See how the rest of your week has treated you?" Magnus asks, uncharacteristically nervous now that he finally had him alone.

"I'm good," Alec replies. 

"I've got lots of free time to work on my book, so that's good. My editor is going to be thrilled with me. I'm ahead of schedule.'

"Well, that's good news," Magnus says, smiling at him.

Seeing Simon's apologetic glance at his watch, Magnus knew he was out of time.

"I have to ask Alexander. Are you still loving your name?"

Magnus is aware of the vulnerability leaking into his voice, but he also knows he never had a chance of keeping it out. Something about Alexander leaves him open and exposed like nothing and no one else.

He swallows down his nerves while he waits for an answer. As Alec finally looks up with soft, warm eyes, he almost stops him, no longer needing the words to know his answer but loving them anyway.

"I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this latest update. It had a little more Malec time which I liked.  
> I’m sorry it took so long for me to get out to everyone. Life piled on top of me a little the last couple of weeks and then last week I said goodbye to one of my favourite shows (Supernatural) and I was left in tears, thinking that I had no more new episodes ahead of me.  
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a comment and a judo if you haven’t already and are that way inclined.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time at the house and a group date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’ve been forced to split this chapter for a few reasons, which I won’t get into here.  
> I do have a question for all you wonderful readers that have seen this show. What happens if somebody gets sent home before the rose ceremony? For instance, if someone asks to go home early or Magnus doesn’t give a rose after a single date or he asks someone to leave early for another reason? Is there still a rose ceremony where someone still gets sent home? Essentially sending two people home that week? I’d appreciate any responses on this question.  
> In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter 😊.  
> A full list of remaining dates can be found in the end notes.

The next afternoon had found Alec waiting around for the announcements of the dates. Having just received one, he wasn’t foolish enough to hope for another single date, but he did have hope that he would be on the group date.

Having not been on one yet, he was uncertain as to how he felt about going out with Magnus, along with a group of other people, all trying to compete for his attention. For Alec, it sounded like the 9th circle of hell. Still, the pull to spend more time with the intriguing Bachelor was currently over-riding any uncomfortableness he felt at the unfamiliar situation.

It had been a quiet morning so far. Magnus had sent Dani home at the rose ceremony, it having gotten down to her and Becca.

Alec and Brianna had both stood safely on the sidelines, both having already received their roses, Alec on his single date and Brianna during her extra time with Magnus at the end of their group date.

Alec was sitting on the couch in the large living room, musing about his chances of getting on the group date when he felt someone sit down beside him.

Looking over, he saw a beautiful woman smiling at him. She had smooth, clear skin a few shades darker than Magnus’s, large brown eyes that shone with mirth and, in contrast, bleached white hair, cut short that perfectly framed her face. As Alec returned her smile hesitantly, he realised that she was quite petite, despite giving off quite a large presence.

“Hi, I’m Jenni. I don’t think we’ve had a chance to really meet or talk, yet,” the woman introduced herself.

“Alec, it’s good to meet you.”

“You too!” She replied happily, giving Alec another bright smile.

“I’m not bothering you am I? I’m well aware that not everyone shares my constant need to socialise and get to know everyone, but I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while now, and you didn’t have that notebook in front of you this time, so I thought I’d take the chance. You strike me as one of the more interesting people in this house, but you rarely talk to people. Kinda makes you a little mysterious, and I love a good mystery. Anyway, if you want me to leave you alone, just say the word, and I’ll disappear, I don’t want to be a bother.”

Alec watched fascinated as the word poured from the woman’s mouth, without the apparent need for her to draw breath. He couldn’t help but be somewhat charmed by her, though. She seemed to be one of those bright, positive people who just enjoyed themselves as much as possible, but didn’t feel the need to enforce it onto others.

“No, it’s fine. I just couldn’t settle to my work today, so I’m just wasting time till we get the envelopes and have to appear back on camera,” he told her.

“Oh, good,” she said, giving him a relieved smile.

“So, you said you’re work. Is that what you’re doing in that notebook?”

“Yeah, I’m outlining my new book. It’s a pain doing it on paper, but — no computer allowed,” he said with a helpless shrug.

“Your book? Are you a writer? That’s awesome! Would I have read anything you’ve written? I love mysteries and rom-coms,” she told him.

Smiling at her, he turned slightly on the couch to face her better.

“Unlikely then. I’m actually a travel writer. I spend half the year travelling, usually going off the beaten track to the non-tourist areas to discover hidden gems and such and then write about it. It’s usually for magazines, but I have written two other books that focus a little more in-depth on my travels and talk about some experiences and people that didn’t get into the magazine articles.”

“That sounds amazing! So I guess you’ve travelled all over, huh? Where’s your favourite place?”

“Honduras. I love the people there, and it’s a great natural environment. Belize is my favourite place to go for pure relaxation, and I have a real soft spot for Italy and Australia.”

“Oh, my God! I love Italy! Milan is one of the most exciting cities for fashion, and I love fashion, so it was like my heaven.”

“I have to admit, I haven’t spent a tonne of time in Milan. I’m more partial to Venice, Rome, Tuscany, than Milan. My sister loves Milan though and has dragged me there often. She’s the fashionista of the family. I’m the brother who’s wardrobe she’d like to burn,” he joked.

“Wow! She must be a huge fashion queen if she’s judging you! You’ve looked great the entire time you’ve been here. That leather jacket you wore the other day was gorgeous!”

“Can you keep a secret?” Alec asked her. At Jenni’s excited nod, he confessed to her.

“I asked my sister for some help with my packing for the show, and she completely took over. Most of these clothes I’ve never even seen before, and the ones I have I hardly ever wore.”

At this, Jenni began to laugh and laying her hand briefly on Alec’s arm, confessed to him in return.

“That sounds like something I would do. Well then, your sister has great taste. She even accessories beautifully. That leather bracelet is amazing,” she told him, indicating the leather cuff Alec wore on his wrist. It was a dark brown leather that wrapped around his wrist, carved with some ancient runes to provide protection. Attached to it was a metal plate that read ‘Not all who wander are lost.’

“Thanks, my sister actually made this one for me when my career officially took off.”

At this, Jenni gave him a reluctant grimace.

“She might have told you she made it sweetie, but this is a Trueblood Jewels design. I recognise that signature anywhere. I love their stuff. Maybe she had it made for you?” She told him, trying to offer him a nicer alternative to what she assumed was a disappointing revelation.

“You know like had the piece commissioned? I heard they do that, though usually for only certain clients.”

Trying and utterly failing to keep the smirk off his face, he can’t help but let out a loud gruff of laughter, at Jenni’s confused and, he has to say it, concerned look. He found himself appreciative of the way she was trying to spare his feelings.

“No, I’m quite sure, my sister made it for me with her own two hands,” he told her, trying to suppress his chuckles.

“My sister is Isabelle Lightwood. She owns Trueblood Jewels,” he explains.

“Shut the fuck up!” Jenni tells him, her mouth wide open in shock as she slaps his arms in excitement.

“Are you serious!” She tells him, almost jumping in her seat in excitement.

“Very serious, and Ow!” He tells her, jokingly rubbing his arm.

“Oh, shush! You’re built like a Greek god, and I barely touched you,” she tells him.

“I’m so excited! I know someone, who knows Isabelle Lightwood, of Trueblood Jewels!”

“You do,” Alec tells her amused, the smile fading from his face when he heard another voice speak behind them.

“I never liked Trueblood Jewels. A little over the top and ostentatious for me,” Camille told them, walking around the back of the couch and sitting in a nearby armchair.

“I prefer classic jewellery. Solitaire diamond earrings, tennis bracelets,” she tells them, with a careless wave of her hand. “You know, elegant jewellery.”

“Oh, please!” Jenni tells her.

“That sort of stuff is all well and good, but Alec’s sister is a genius. Her jewellery is like a living statement, announcing to the world who you are. They tell a story, and separate you from the rest,” Jenni tells her emphatically. At the same time, Alec sat stonily on the couch, less than impressed by the latest addition to their previously pleasant conversation.

He struggled to hold down the anger he felt at someone disparaging his sister’s work, however snidely she did it. Isabelle had worked hard to make a success of her business, and he was beyond proud that she had managed to do it at such a young age.

“Well to each their own,” Camille tells them with a brittle smile, turning her attention back to Silvana and Becca who have followed her into the room.

Giving Alec an exaggerated ‘what the hell was that look’, Jenni then shared a quiet giggle with Alec, before continuing her ‘getting to know you’ questionnaire.

“So, you’re a writer, and your sister designs jewellery,” she begins, “is your whole family creative?”

“Not so much, though my brother is right into computers and coding, so I suppose that’s a creative outlet of sorts. But our parents? No. Dad’s an intellectual property lawyer, and Mum’s the Dean of a Woman’s school in New York.”

His attention is once again brought to Camille as the woman stops her previous conversation to return her attention to Alec, shock written clearly all over her face.

“You’re Mother is Dean Lightwood? My goodness, that explains so much!”

Turning back to her friends, Camille expanded on her reaction.

“Dean Lightwood was such a hard-arse! Constantly on us about every little thing. I don’t think she knows the meaning of fun,” She told them, before turning back to Alec.

“I suppose she was the same at home, was she?” She asked him condescendingly.

“She believed in manners and personal responsibility, but otherwise no. She was great fun. She encouraged fun, in fact,” Alec told her with a tight smile.

“It must have been something about you, that set off her inner hard-arse,” he finished.

He was saved from whatever response she was going to make when Michael and Lily entered the room and began calling everyone over for the envelope ceremony.

Alec watched in amusement as Felicity came in to sit in an armchair opposite Camille, but deliberately walked past the blond and bumped her leg on the way.

“Bitch,” Camille muttered under her breath.

“Oh look, the cow talks,” Felicity returned, lifting her eyebrow with a look of derision.

Felicity had been in a bad mood all morning as her closest companion on the show had been sent home by Magnus last night. Dani had actually been quite a nice person, Alec thought, judging by the small amount of time he had spent with her. He’d been quite surprised to see her bond with Felicity, who Alec avoided almost as much as he avoided Camille.

His reasons for avoiding Camille were simple. She seemed to see him as her biggest competition and so went out of her way to annoy and undermine him in the house.

Felicity, meanwhile, seemed to have no regard for him whatsoever. In fact, she seemed to have no regard for any of the men in the house, having deemed Camille as her only real competition, though she also appeared to hold an intense dislike for Silvana, though that could be due to her friendship with Camille.

Alec couldn’t precisely say what it was he disliked so much about Felicity, but he found himself wanting to walk out anytime she walked in.

As Lily and Michael went through the set up for the envelopes once more, Alec resisted the urge to get up and leave.

Eventually, they were ready to go.

Going through the whole performance, Michael came in and with a bright smile and a few witty lines, delivered some envelopes to the group.

Felicity immediately picked up one of the envelopes, while Janet got hold of the other.

Having the single card, Janet went first.

“The clue is ‘Come fly with me’”, Janet begins.

“And the lucky recipient is . . . Semi!”

Alec turned to share a big smile with the younger man he now considered a friend. His smile only widened when he saw Semi sitting there with a stunned and terrified look on his face.

Despite his emerging feelings for Magnus and his struggle to accept them, not to mention his fears that Magnus didn’t return his affections, he was genuinely happy for Semi.

“Congrats Semi!” He told him, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder when the man turned to him worriedly.

“What if he hates me and sends me home?” Semi whimpered.

Giving him a soft wink, Alec tried to reassure him.

“Not possible, Semi.”

“Moving on!” Felicity called out, giving Alec and Semi an exasperated look.

“The group date!” She squealed excitedly, waving the envelope around like it held the secrets of the universe.

“The clue is . . . ‘Let’s get swept away and trip the light fantastic’” she tells them dramatically.

“And going on the date is — Alec!”

At hearing his name, he felt a sense of relief come over him. Maybe he didn’t get a kiss, but Magnus was following up their single date by including him on the group date. Something he hadn’t done with Camille, he thought conceitedly.

As Felicity continued listing off the names, Alec refocused his attention.

“Tom! Jarrod! Lisa!” So far, Alec was pleased with his fellow date-ee’s. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with the three of them, but they all seemed like friendly, interesting people. As the list went on, though, Alec felt his excitement decrease slightly.

“Camille!” Felicity said with a slight bite.

“Jenni!” Oh, thank God! Alec thought, immediately sharing a happy smile with the woman next to him.

“Silvana!” - Camille’s turn to share an excited smile with a friend, while Alec and his friend shared an apprehensive look.

“And last but not least in any way, Me! Felicity!” She announces with a bright smile, that turned slightly challenging as she directed it straight at Camille. Camille gave her a bitter smile in return, before sharing a distinctly unhappy look with Silvana.

As Alec echoed the look with Jenni, they sat quietly as the camera’s started to move away, getting ready for one-on-one ‘diary entries,’

Diaries entries, Alec had learned the week before, are opportunities for dates to come and sit in front of a camera and spill about their thoughts and feelings. Alec thought it sounded like hell, and had vehemently refused to take part when Jonathon had offered him time.

“It can be a great way to get the audience on your side,” the producer had told him.

“Does Magnus consult with the audience on who they like best, before deciding if he wants to spend the rest of his life with one of us?” Alec had asked him sarcastically.

“No? Then I’ll keep my thoughts and feelings off the camera and to myself, thank you very much.”

As other’s prepared to take their turn in front of the camera, Alec got up to prepare dinner. He’d put himself down for dinner duty three nights a week, wanting to find some semblance of a routine in this bizarre living situation.

Alec had just begun pulling things out of the fridge when Camille walked in to join him.

“What are you doing in here?” Alec sighed exasperatedly.

“Don’t give me that, apparently we all have to take part in dinner preparation, and my turn in up,” she tells him, her tone making it more than clear she felt this to be beneath her.

“Wonderful,” Alec said sarcastically.

“So, what are we doing?” Camille asks, “I don’t generally cook, we have people who do that for us.”

“Imagine my surprise that you have servants.”

“Oh, don’t give me that! We don’t have servants, we have staff, and they’re like family!” She tells him.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Alec tells her.

“I’ll have you know, Marjorie and Steven have been with us, since before I was born, and are most definitely part of my family!”

About to come back at her with another sarcastic comment, Alec turns to look at her. He felt his words die in his throat when he did.

Camille is visibly emotional, and though desperately trying to hide it, quite upset at the thought that her household staff weren’t treated well.

Feeling that possibly he had let his dislike of the woman colour his opinion of her, Alec decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Ok, I apologise. I didn’t mean to upset you. Let’s just get on with dinner.”

“You didn’t upset me,” Camille tells him irritably.

“So what am I supposed to do here?”

“I was thinking we could make a Caprese salad to go with the fish I am preparing,” Alec told her.

“Why don’t you prepare the salad, and I’ll cook the fish.”

“Ok, so I need to slice some tomatoes and mozzarella, right? Easy enough. What do I do for the dressing exactly?”

“That’s simple enough too, just some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, with a little salt and pepper, but we’ll do that later. We won’t put it on, until right before we serve it anyway,” Alec tells her.

As Camille nods her understanding, the two of them set about their work silently, not exactly working in companionship, but civilly at least.

They had been working for approximately 15 minutes, when Camille spoke up, so quietly that Alec almost missed it, even though there was little other noise in the room.

“I was hoping you could do me a favour, and pass on my gratitude to your mother for me?”

“I’m sorry?” Alec repeats in disbelief.

“I thought you hated my mother,” he told her.

“Of course, I don’t hate her,” Camille tells him derisively.

“She was an extremely stern headmistress who set out to ruin any semblance of fun her students were having, but I didn’t hate her.”

“So what exactly am I thanking her for?” Alec asked her with a roll of his eyes.

“My mother died during my last year at school,” she tells him quietly.

“Understandably, it hit me very hard, and your Mother was very kind and understanding during that time. She was very comforting. I wasn’t in the right state of mind to thank her at the time, and that’s always troubled me,” she tells him primly.

“If you could pass on my gratitude to her for her help at that time, I would appreciate it.”

As Camille returned to making her salad, Alec stood silent, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“I can do that for you,” he tells her quietly.

“Thank you. Well, I’ve finished the salad, including the dressing, as per your instructions. If I leave now, are you going to tell everyone I skipped out on my duties, or are you satisfied?” She asks him, the familiar bitterness she usually uses talking to Alec, back in her tone.

Swallowing down a sigh, he answered her.

“If you could take the cutlery and plates out before you go, I would appreciate it, thanks.”

“Fine,” Camille tells his, going to the cupboards and gathering plates before she walked out.

Wondering what the hell just happened and wondering what he should make of this whole encounter, Alec continued cooking the fish for dinner, his mind a chaotic mess.

The next day, Alec found himself being ushered into a car with Tom, Jennifer and Lisa, while the other four climbed into a second car.

Although it was supposed to be a surprise, they had all figured out that this date had something to do with dancing, something Alec was not really thrilled about. Although he’d always been very sporty and active, he was not at all coordinated about moving his body in any form of rhythm for the most part.

Nothing like putting your best foot forward when trying to impress someone, Alec thought to himself sadly.

On the plus side, he was enjoying getting to know Tom, the quiet paediatrician, albeit getting to know him second-handed. Jenni was happily engaging in her getting-to-know-you shtick, only with Tom this time.

Alec and Lisa sat back in amusement as the man stammered out a response about his work back home, shyly ducking his head down and looking up at Alec pleadingly.

Taking pity on the man, Alec interrupted Jenni’s 20th question of the morning.

“I love your necklace, Jenni. I recognise it as one of Izzy’s designs from last year’s collection. You know she’s doing some similar pieces in her new collection in a couple of months? I can get you an early catalogue if you want. Maybe even a discount on a few pieces, since I know how much you love her stuff,” Alec offered, as they pulled up in front of a building. Looking out the window, he could see Magnus, Michael and a camera crew waiting in front.

Wincing at the high pitch squeal that was suddenly coming at him, Alec hurriedly stepped out of the car, and up onto the kerb, giving Magnus a big smile as he looked up.

He was quickly forced into taking a step back when Jenni, having stepped out of the car on the other side, raced around the front, and flung herself at Alec.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She squealed at him, squeezing him within an inch of his life, and pressing kisses over every available inch of bare skin she can reach.

“You’re welcome,” Alec squeezed out, awkwardly patting Jenni’s back, and trying to crane his head away.

“Magnus is waiting for us,” he tried in the hopes that she would let go.

Looking uncomfortably over her shoulder, he could indeed see Magnus giving the pair of them very puzzled and unhappy looks while greeting the occupants from the other car.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just got so excited! You are officially my new best friend, Alec!” Jenni tells him excitedly giving Alec a big kiss on his mouth, before turning to face Magnus.

“So a dance class will be an interesting group date,” Michael says.

“What do you mean?” Magnus asks, sending the man a puzzled look.

Giving him an innocent look, Michael shakes his head, directing his attention to the two Cadillac’s making their way down the street.

“Nothing,” he tells Magnus. “Can be a bit of a handsy activity. For you and them.”

As he follows Michael’s eye-line to the cars that have just pulled up to the kerb, he shakes off the man’s slightly disturbing comment and watches as people start emerging from the cars. He’s almost able to convince himself that he is equally glad to see them all, though as Alec appears from the second car, he quietly admits to himself that this is untrue.

He happily shares a warm smile with Alec as the other man looks up, but feels the smile quickly drop when Jenni emerges from the other side of his car and runs straight into Alec’s arms and begins kissing him.

Magnus feels the tension rise in him as he watches, distractedly greeting his other dates while observing the way that Alec absolutely does not push Jenni away. He does have the grace to seem embarrassed by the display of public affection, Magnus thinks, unsure if this is enough to assuage him.

He can’t stop a sudden frown falling over his face when Jenni leans forward and gives Alec a giant smack on the lips. He can’t deny a happy little thrill going through him as he sees Alec grimace in response before turning Jenni to face Magnus.

“Jenni, dear. You seem excited about something,” Magnus tells her, leaning forward to give her a restrained kiss on the cheek.

“I am! Alec is the absolute best! Please don’t ever send him home!”

“I’ll do my best,” Magnus tells her, fighting the urge to send Jenni home immediately instead.

As he steps up behind her, Alec gives Magnus a soft smile and leans in to press his own kiss to Magnus’s cheek.

“Hi, Magnus.”

“Alexander,” Magnus murmurs against his cheek, lingering only a second past appropriate.

“Who knew Jenni would get to kiss you before I did?” Magnus chuckled lightly as he pulled back, fighting to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

“Whose fault is that?” Alec asked him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

As Magnus felt his previous frown quickly return to his face, he opened his mouth to question Alec’s comment, when Alec reached out and took his hand, giving it a little squeeze as he reassured him.

“It’s ok, Magnus. I’m just kidding with you. Our time will come,” he promised, his words and touch sending thrills through Magnus’s entire nervous system.

Hearing a throat clear behind him, Magnus turned to see Simon approaching them with a camera crew. He doubted that Simon had been able to hear Alec’s words, but he had no doubt taken note of Magnus’s reaction to them. Magnus resisted the urge to smack him across the head at the smirk on the producer’s face.

“Ok, everyone! We’re going to move inside and film the introduction. Jonathon’s already in there, so straight through to the back of the reception room, please. Follow Jonathon’s directions and move where he tells you. Thank you! Let’s go!”

Following Simon’s instructions and allowing themselves to be herded into the building, Magnus was somewhat amused to see uncertainty and nervousness on the faces of Tom and Lisa as they took in the pictures of the elegantly dancing couples on the wall. He became slightly less amused when he saw the same nervousness on Alec’s face and was fighting an unpleasant feeling of guilt when Alec turned to him and gave him an exasperated look.

“Really?” He drawled.

“What’s the matter, Alexander?” Magnus cheerfully queried. “Two-left feet?”

“No. Two right ones and neither of them can dance,” Alec shot back, a large grin showing his enjoyment in their banter.

Magnus was about to reply, when he felt a hand pull down on his arm, and turning he spotted Felicity beside him, Camille right next to her and quickly moving to his other side.

“So Magnus, does this mean I might be able to share a dance with the man of my dreams?” Felicity asked, walking her fingers up his arm in what he assumed was supposed to be a seductive manner.

“I don’t know. Is he here?” Magnus asked with a smile before looking back over at Alec. He noticed that he too had had his attention redirected, as he was now talking with Tom, Lisa and Jarrod.

“Of course, he is. I’m looking right at him,” Felicity purrs, her hand having reached the curve of his neck. Trying to hold back the slight discomfort he felt at the intimate touch, Magnus turned, only for his attention to be caught by Camille.

“So, how is this going to work Magnus? Are you going to dance with us all?”

“That’s the plan, I believe. I do love to dance, and it would be nice to find a partner in that,” he tells her with a smile.

“I look forward to showing off my footwork then,” she replies, and Magnus can’t help but feel charmed by her smile and intrigued by the promise in her eyes.

Hearing a low chuckle away to his side, his gaze is once again pulled to Alec. He watches as Jarrod says something to make Alec and Lisa laugh, while Tom gives up an adorably, embarrassed smile.

Alec must say something in response to Jarrod’s amusing comment then, that the other man obviously liked.

Magnus felt that tightness return to his chest as Jarrod places both his hands on Alec’s shoulder, before dropping his head on top of those same hands. Uncomfortable with this sensation, he turns back to the two women still competing for his attention.

As the camera’s got set up around them, Alec watched as Felicity and Camille began to battle for Magnus’s attention. Alec was disheartened to see that Camille had to fight a lot less for her share of attention, the woman easily pulling Magnus’s focus from Felicity.

Alec was pleased to see, though, that although the women both claimed the majority of Magnus’s attention through their efforts, he was able to claim a fair share of it himself.

As he conversed with Tom, Lisa, and Jarrod nearby, he would often look up to find Magnus looking at him, sending him a quick smile when he was caught looking before turning his attention back to the girls.

Jarrod, who had been stuck in the car with Camille, Silvana and Felicity was regaling them all with the petty competitiveness the women had engaged in. Reportedly, they had repeatedly tried to drag him into the argument, all wanting Jarrod to take their side. Alec was confident it had not been a pleasant ride for the journalist, and he was amused to see how eager the man looked to put distance between him and the three witches of East Hampton.

“I don’t care if I have to walk, I am not getting back in that car for the return journey,” Jarrod vowed, the man still side-eyeing the three woman all standing close by Magnus.

As Alec and Lisa let out a sympathetic laugh at the man’s quiet dramatics, Alec rushed to reassure him.

“Don’t worry, we had a spare seat in our car,” Alec told him. “You can ride back with us.”

His amusement increased slightly as Jarrod turned to him with a grateful look and hanging both his hands on Alec’s shoulders, dropped his head atop them both, before dramatically muttering a fervent “Thank you!”

Trying to catch hold of her laughter, Lisa chokes out her next words.

“I almost want to go in their car myself, just to witness it.”

“Better you than me,” Tom tells them. “Those three scare me.”

“They scare us all,” Alec tells him with a smile.

“Well, they’re not scaring Magnus,” Jarrod mutters, nodding his head in the Bachelor’s direction discretely.

As the group turns, they see that Silvana and Jenni have both joined Camille and Felicity around Magnus, though, again, Camille seems to hold his attention much more easily than the others. Alec watches as Camille effortlessly converses with Magnus, the other’s trying to pull his attention away before it naturally falls back to the blond woman.

“What do you want to bet, Camille is a great dancer?” Lisa asks with a slight frown.

“She will be. She attended my Mother’s school, and I know for a fact that they have a dancing elective that they nearly all take,” Alec tells them.

“Did you take it too?” Tom asks, looking at Alec shyly.

“It’s a woman’s school,” Alec chuckles, “so no. My Mum did try to get me to take dance lessons with my sister as a kid, but, alas, it was discovered not to be a talent of mine.”

“Oh good,” Lisa sighs. “So you can’t dance either?”

“Not a bit,” Alec cheerfully confirms.

“Nor me,” Tom tells them quietly, his glance once again taking in all the framed posters of graceful dancers that litter the walls.

“How is this going to work anyway?” Jarrod asks. “There’s four guys, counting Magnus, and five women. And I don’t dance with women,” he tells them decisively.

“Nice to know,” Lisa responds with a wry grin.

Returning the grin, Jarrod lifts her hand and places a gentle kiss upon it.

“As gorgeous as you are Lisa, I am a gay man, and as such, I prefer dancing with men, no matter how not-the-norm society may view it.”

“I know what you mean,” Alec tells him. “What do you want to bet, it will be assumed that the men will partner up with the women, once you take out whomever Magnus is dancing with.”

“I try not to take bets, I know I’m going to lose,” Jarrod tells him with a grimace.

“You really think that’s the way it’ll work?” Tom asks.

“More than likely sweetie,” Lisa replies, understanding why the men would be protesting this.

“I really do not want to dance with those four,” Tom tells them shakily. “Jenni seems nice, but she still scares me with how loud she is,” he confesses.

“Then we look out for each other,” Alec declares. “If any of us get stuck with the three witches of East Hamptons, then one of the others will cut in.”

“Deal,” Jarrod says, holding out his hand to shake, while Tom smiles at him gratefully.

“You will include me in this declaration, right?” Lisa pleads. “I don’t want to dance with them either.”

“We will rescue you too,” Jarrod promises.

Despite Michael’s disturbing comment earlier, Magnus is having a wonderful time on this group date.

He has always loved dancing, and while he generally doesn’t practice ballroom, he can’t deny how much he enjoys gliding around the room with a graceful partner in his arms.

Camille, Jenni and Jarrod are exceptionally graceful and have proven to be wonderful dance partners. Silvana and Felicity have also shown some skill on the dance floor, though they lack the natural grace of the other three.

Lisa, Tom and Alec had, unfortunately, had not appeared as adept at dancing, though Magnus had thoroughly enjoyed their good humour in trying.

Up till now, the teacher had instructed them in individual moves. They had then circulated in a pattern that allowed Magnus time to dance with all of them for a few minutes, before moving on to the next.

They had now moved on to dancing one on one for a complete song. Magnus, having just finished a delightful dance with Camille, was now being directed to Jenni by the instructor.

As the other’s partnered up around them, utilising some additional instructors that had been brought in to even up the numbers and provide some alternatives for the pairings, Magnus greeted Jenni with a smile.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Jenni?”

“I am having a wonderful time, Magnus,” she declared. “I’ve always loved dancing. My grandmother was a professional dancer back in the days of silent movies, and she insisted on all of us children learning to dance also.”

“It show’s,” Magnus tells her. “You are an exquisite dancer.”

“Why thank you, kind Sir,” she tells him with a coquettish smile.

Magnus allows himself to get lost in the movement briefly, as they continue to chat lightly about their shared love of dancing. Eventually, though, his curiosity gets the better of him.

“I must ask, you seemed especially enamoured of Alec when you arrived this morning. May I enquire as to what brought about such affection?”

“Oh!” Magnus watched amused and a little concerned when Jenni’s eyes lit up excitedly, not entirely comfortable with how much Jenni seemed to ‘appreciate’ Alec, despite his knowing that Alec was ‘absolutely 100% gay, like seriously gay’ as Lily had once told him.

“You’ll never believe it! Alec’s sister is Isabelle Lightwood! The owner and designer of ‘Trueblood Jewels!’ Can you believe it!!! I mean, she’s like a Goddess to me, she’s so talented! And I know her brother!”

Magnus felt a large smile break over his face at Jenni’s unbridled enthusiasm, his discomfort disappearing with the knowledge that Jenni was less a fan of Alec’s, and more a fan of the connection he provides her to his sister.

“I can understand your excitement, dear. I own quite a few pieces from ‘Trueblood Jewels’ myself. They’re exquisite.

So, it that why you were kissing Alec earlier? You just found out who his sister was?”

“No, no. I found that out yesterday. This morning he promised to get me an advance catalogue of Isabelle’s new collection, and he said he would get me a discount as well! Can you believe it! Isn’t he the sweetest?” She gushed, looking over to where Alec was dancing with Lisa, with a happy smile on her face.

“He is very sweet,” Magnus replied softly, looking over at Alec himself, before pulling himself together and redirecting his attention to his dance partner.

“I am quite certain you are deserving of every sweet thing that comes your way, Jenni.”

Magnus watches in amusement, as Jenni brings her attention back to him, and a small colour graces her cheeks.

“Why thank you, Magnus. Aren’t you charming?”

“Well, I do try,” Magnus flirts back.

Despite his earlier apprehension, Alec is actually enjoying himself on this group date. He is yet to have to dance with the three witches, having actively avoided them this entire time. Truthfully, it’s not that difficult, as they’re too busy fighting each other for Magnus’s attention.

He hasn’t had a real opportunity to dance with Magnus yet, only sharing a few quick turns in some ridiculous round-robin thing the scary instructor had had them do.

He had enjoyed dancing with Jenni and Jarrod, both of whom turned out to be natural dancers and had warmly led Alec through some dances, so he didn’t seem as incompetent as he was.

Currently, he was dancing with Lisa, and having the best time yet doing so. They were both equally horrible and were continually falling all over each other’s feet, causing the two of them to burst into laughter.

Until now, he’d found Lisa to be a reasonably serious woman. A straight talker who seemed to have no time for bullshit, Alec was delighted to find she had a similarly dry and sarcastic sense of humour like he did.

“Forget this! You can’t lead for crap Lightwood!” She told him, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks. “Let me lead.”

“Oh, you think you can do better!” Alec challenged. “Lead away, Lis.”

Alec felt laughter bubble over anew as she took them in a dramatically over the top sweeping around the room, the two of them stumbling to the floor about one minute into her lead.

Both of them overcome by laughter; they had to avert their eyes from each other as the instructor came over to tell them off.

“Dance is an expression of grace and beauty! Not some clown factory, where people roll about the floor!” The woman told them sternly.

“Now, up! Up! Try again, and this time, you lead!” She told them, pointing at Alec.

“Yes Ma’am” Alec sheepishly replied, biting down another burst of laughter, when he heard Lisa snort softly beside him.

For the next few minutes, the two of them shuffled their way around the outskirts of the other pairings, chuckling to themselves as they talked.

“Ok, We change now!” The instructor called.

As they looked up, Alec watched dismayed as it was Lisa who was pulled in to dance with Magnus next, his dismay turning to horror when Felicity was brought to dance with him.

“You don’t seem to really have a flair for this, so how about you let me lead,” she told him flatly, her eyes on Magnus pulling Lisa into his arms.

“That’s how I ended up on the floor before, but sure,” Alec replied unenthusiastically.

Looking over Felicity’s shoulder, he saw a worse pairing than he was currently forced into.

Tom was almost visibly shaking as Camille firmly directed his hands on where to hold her.

Feeling a sense of brotherhood, as well as mischievousness that had gotten him into some trouble growing up, Alec dropped his hands from Felicity and instead grasped her hand and began pulling her over to the other pair.

“What the hell are you doing!” He heard Felicity protest behind him.

Turning back to her as he continued walking, he gave her a bright smile, speaking only when he had reached Tom and Camille.

“Ladies, I understand the two of you are straight and prefer dancing with men, but we,” he said, indicating he and Tom, “are gay and therefore, we also like to dance with men. As such, we are now going to dance with each other!”

With that, he pulled Tom to him and assumed the dancing position.

“Who the hell are we supposed to dance with?” Felicity all but screeched at him, as Camille gave him a dirty look.

“Dance with each other or sit it out. Frankly, my dears, we don’t give a damn,” Alec tossed back, before clumsily dancing away with Tom.

“Thank you,” Tom breathed out, gratitude etched on every inch of his face.

“Don’t mention it,” Alec replied with a wink.

“We promised to look out for each other, and besides, I was doing it as much for your benefit as mine.”

At his words, Tom relaxed slightly and leaned in a little closer to Alec, and let him lead him however clumsily around the floor, the two of them exchanging the odd few comments through their dance, but mostly just enjoying the silence.

For his part, Alec was concentrating on where to put his feet, having quickly discovered that Tom was a worse dancer than he was. Somehow he didn’t think that the other man would find it as amusing to fall to the floor in a tangle of limbs as he and Lisa had.

When the dance was over, the instructor never even had a chance to begin directing the new couples. With a loud voice, that brokered no argument, Lisa declared that it was her turn to dance with the handsome paediatrician and that Magnus would simply have to make do with Alec.

“Go get him, Lightwood,” she told him softly, as they stepped past each other to swap partners.

Giving her a puzzled look, Alec stepped up to Magnus, before sharing a sheepish look with him.

“I haven’t gotten any better since we danced earlier so that you know.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Magnus told him, a beautiful smile lighting up his face.

“You certainly lead that last dance beautifully, from start to finish. Even executing a perfect partner exchange.”

Chuckling lightly at the sly look on Magnus’s face, Alec let Magnus pull him in and start leading them through the start of their dance.

“A few of us promised Tom he wouldn’t have to dance with a few of the girls. They scare him a little bit,” he shared.

“Ah,” Magnus sighs in understanding.

“And you were his knight in shining armour.”

“Just his friend,” Alec assured him.

Magnus was in heaven. Despite the lack of skill on Alec’s part, dancing with him felt so natural to Magnus.

It terrified him just how much he felt for Alec already. It shouldn’t be possible to feel like this when they had only shared one date. He wasn’t naive enough to think this was love, not yet anyhow. But he couldn’t deny that something about Alexander pulled at him in a way that no one else in this competition did. He just hadn’t yet decided if this was a good thing.

For now, he was content to enjoy the way that their bodies brushed and pressed against each other as they moved, to feel the warmth that flowed from the other man and seemed to settle deep in Magnus’s soul.

“May I ask you a question, Alexander?” He asked, not quite able to talk himself out of asking the question he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer to.

“You just did,” Alec quipped.

Smiling exasperatedly, Magnus tried again.

“May I ask another one? Another after this one?” He rushed to get in as Alec opened his mouth to reply with a cheeky glint in his eye.

“Go for it,” Alec invited.

Wondering how exactly he could phrase this question without revealing how much he wanted the answer, Magnus moved ahead cautiously.

“What did you mean earlier, about us not having yet shared a kiss?”

He watched nervously as Alec straightened up and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Really? You want to get into this now?”

“Why not?” Magnus replied with a nonchalance he didn’t feel.

He dropped his eyes to Alec’s throat, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously as he swallowed before answering.

“I didn’t mean anything, Magnus,” he said softly.

“Alexander,” he said, a bite in his voice letting slip that this was not just some throwaway conversation to him.

“I know you shared a kiss with some of the other’s and I was just wondering why you never kissed me at the end of our date,” Alec told him softly, keeping his eyes lowered to somewhere on Magnus’s chest.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

As Alec finally raised his eyes to Magnus’s, a thousand questions clear in his eyes.

“I’m kind of a one soul at a time kind of guy, Alexander. The idea of dating multiple people all at once is an incredibly uncomfortable one for me,” he began to explain, desperate to make Alec understand that their lack of a kiss so far, was not a rejection of the man.

“When I went into this,” he continued, “I promised myself that it wouldn’t be a lot of random kisses and getting handsy under the table. I genuinely want to make a connection with someone, and I’m content to wait for the physical stuff, to find the right person.

The kisses I have shared so far, have all been chaste, no matter what they may be saying back at the house.”

“They still got one,” Alec said doubtfully. “All we’ve shared is a kiss on the cheek. Do you not feel the same desire I do?”

Ignoring the spark of joy that was flooding his body at Alec’s confession that he felt desire for Magnus, he rushed to answer him, aware that their time was running out.

“I can assure you, Alexander, I feel an incredible amount of desire for you. So much, it scares me. That’s why I haven’t kissed you yet,” he confesses.

At Alec’s questioning gaze, he elaborated as the instructor began calling out for new pairings.

“I don’t think I’d be able to stop at chaste if I started kissing you,” he explained, before moving off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the leather cuff Alec wears is very similar to one I was given when I first began my travels, though for Alec, I added some runes to it. It’s always been a favourite quote of mine and seemed to suit my wandering soul.  
> I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. If you are, kudo’s and comments make me so happy and keep me motivated.  
> I also have a new story that I have begun posting ‘Imitating Life’ if you want to go and check that out. It’s a little heavier than this story, but I am proud of it, and would love to know what everyone thinks of it.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec both spend some time with the other dates and find some time to spend together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays Everyone!  
> I hope wherever you are and whatever you are celebrating, this new chapter finds you all safe, healthy and happy.
> 
> A full list of remaining dates can be found in the end notes for those that want it.

As he returned to his place after the group date, Magnus’s mind was conflicted. His conversation with Alec at the end of their dance, had left his mind spinning for the remainder of their time at the studio. To the point that he had pulled out of the dinner, he was supposed to invite one of his dates too. 

Pleading a headache to Simon, Magnus had instead found himself trying to sort the chaotic thoughts taking over his brain. From imagining sharing a first kiss with Alec to imagining so much more. From hearing the echo of Lisa’s words in his head to the warnings and promises of Lily and Simon’s. 

As much as Magnus craved Alec and wanted to pull him in close until he learned all he could about the man, he also feared it.

He knew from his conversations with Lily and Simon that Alec was not exactly a social butterfly. Both of them had described him as a grumpy, isolating bastard in one way or another, and although he’d been nothing but charm and warmth with Magnus so far, he couldn’t deny the fact that they hadn’t, in reality, spent a lot of time together. Would Alec’s natural isolating tendencies make for a successful relationship out in the real world?

And what of his job? His job was literally to disappear for months at a time. Would Magnus be able to cope with that? And didn’t Alec’s job just further cement his isolating, wandering nature, showing that he had no interest and no ability to commit to a relationship? 

And Magnus wasn’t kidding himself anymore. He wanted a relationship. A committed, there for each other through good times and bad, sickness and health relationship. It didn’t have to be marriage, although he wished for just that in his secret heart of hearts. He could let that go for the right person, though. He could let go of that secret dream of wedded bliss if the commitment was still real.

It wasn’t like Magnus hadn’t seen the signs of Alec’s reluctance to commit either. Alec had been more than reluctant to appear on the show in the first place. Magnus wasn’t altogether confident walking into each rose ceremony that Alec wouldn’t start asking him to send him home again, deciding that this wasn’t for him and that Magnus wasn’t a good enough reason to stay.

He’d like to think he had time to figure all this out. After all, the show was less than halfway through. He hadn’t been lying though when he told Alec he wasn’t sure he could stop at a chaste kiss. What he hadn’t said though, was that he wasn’t just scared of being unable to stop himself physically. 

Yes, Alexander was the perfect embodiment of every fantasy he had ever had. If you had asked a sketch artist to draw a picture of Magnus’s ideal partner as he described him, the artist would have finished with a perfect rendition of his Alexander. 

From the artfully tousled hair that naturally fell that way, despite any efforts to tame it. To the brows that would draw together in puzzlement briefly anytime, Magnus complimented him, only to pull apart as his eyes widened and shone brightly. 

His mouth with it’s inviting and luscious looking lips that could transform from a tight, tense line to a lopsided grin in the blink of an eye. Alec’s blue eyes that seemed to hold an endless river of secrets and promises and Magnus frequently found himself happily drowning in them, eager to discover every new tidbit of information Alec would give him. 

And all that was before you even got to his lean, toned body; the perfect triangle with his broad, muscular shoulders that tapered down over his chiselled chest and washboard abs to the slim set of his hips with their drool-worthy ‘V’ pointing to new promises and height of joy. The looks he had managed to sneak at that massage parlour had been fuel for more than one sleepless night since.

If that was all it was, Magnus could maybe bite the bullet and simply go for it. He could risk losing all that if it didn’t work out, forever mourning its loss but revelling in the memories of it all the same. 

But the truth was, his most hidden fantasies of the other man involved being wrapped up in each other’s arms as they fell asleep together, or snuggling into each other on the couch as they lazily watched a movie or talked about their day. They were domestic fantasies of laughing over the antics of their children or being enveloped in Alec’s arms from behind, as they hung out with friends, the taller man resting his chin on Magnus’s shoulder as he held him tight. 

These were the thoughts that scared Magnus and held him back. Because if he was already dreaming of this before their first kiss, before they had even begun to explore the possibility of a relationship, how bad would he be after?

How hard would he fall once he had tasted Alexander and felt his lips against his own? How much would he risk once he fully opened himself up and let the other man in? How much risk was too much? And was it already too late?

Unbidden, his mind returned to his conversation with Lisa earlier that day . . .

“You know, if you take your eyes off him, he doesn’t disappear,” the woman chuckled as Magnus began leading her around the floor, unconsciously keeping track of Alexander raising his arms to start dancing with Felicity.

His attention had been captured by the unhappy look on Alec’s face when he had seen that his partner was Felicity and he couldn’t help but wonder if the woman had done something to upset Alec.

Now, he let his attention be drawn back to the woman dancing in his arms, incidentally being the same woman who had just left Alec’s.

“I’m sorry?”

“Alec. You’re staring at him pretty intensely,” she told him with a smile.

Feeling himself flush slightly from embarrassment at his staring and bad manners, Magnus forced his attention to refocus.

“I’m so sorry, my dear Lisa. I was momentarily caught by how unhappy they seemed to be dancing together, but I promise you, my attention is all yours now,” he told her with a smile.

Giving his shoulder a small squeeze where it sat under her hand, Lisa reassured him.

“It’s ok, Magnus. I’m not offended. He’s definitely worth looking at, and I think we both know there is no romantic interest anywhere between us.”

At these words, Magnus felt his focus sharpen onto the woman in his arms, for once not having to fight against the pull to find Alexander.

“Lisa, I —“

“Magnus, it’s ok. I came on the show on the off chance there would be someone here for me, but despite the fact that I feel absolutely no desire to take you to bed, I have loved being here and meeting you, as well as a few of the others at the house.”

As her eyes were the ones this time to be distracted, she quietly indicated for Magnus to look behind him as she continued talking.

“Including our boy there, who seems to be changing up his dance partner,” she said, chuckling at the sight before them when Magnus angled their bodies, so they were side on and both able to comfortably look in the same direction.

Magnus watched with a small smile as, apparently having pulled Felicity over to where Camille was dancing with Tom, Alec was now proceeding to pull Tom away with himself, saying something Magnus couldn’t quite catch, leaving the two woman to exchange annoyed looks before moving off to separate sides.

He and Lisa found themselves enjoying a shared grin of amusement at the sight, as Alec awkwardly, yet enthusiastically led Tom off in a strange approximation of the waltz that they were now supposed to be dancing. Magnus felt his smile falter slightly though when he saw the adoration shining out of Tom’s face, as he looked up at Alec. He wondered about it slightly until Lisa stepped in to give him some more background.

“Good on you, Alec.”

At Magnus’s questioning glance, she explained her response.

“Tom, as I’m sure you’ve figured out is a bit of a quiet sort, and a little out of his depth here. Before we began, he told us he was a little scared to have to dance with some of the girls, and so Alec, Jarrod and myself promised to rescue him if it happened.”

“Ah, I see,” Magnus said, understanding now where Tom’s adoring expression came from, but still finding it unsettling.

“I’m sorry,” he told Lisa hesitantly, now wanting to bring the conversation back to their previous topic. Seeing her confused look, he expanded on his sentiment.

“For not being what you were hoping for on this show. I’m sorry for not being what you want.”

“Oh Magnus, you don’t have to apologise for that! There’s no way possible, you were going to have a connection with every person who came here, and if you did, you’d be a lousy partner for whomever you end up with,” she told him with a smile.

Knowing she felt no resentment to him for the lack of attraction between them, Magnus relaxed slightly.

“I still feel bad, though. I hate that people came all this way to find love, only for me to send them home. I feel a little like I let them down.”

“Well don’t!” She told him forcefully and bluntly.

“You came here to find love too, remember. And it’s your job to send people home until you find the one you want to be with. Unless you already have?” She asked slyly, following Magnus’s eye-line where it had once again drifted over to Alec and Tom.

“He’s a great guy, our Alec. He’s one of the few people I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and will miss when I leave,” she shares.

“You want to go already?” Magnus questions, dragging his eyes away and looking at Lisa with a faux-hurt expression.

“This rose ceremony or the next, I don’t care. Like I said, I’m still having fun, and don’t change the subject!”

“I was under the impression that you and I not finding true love in each other was the subject,” Magnus told her with a cheeky grin.

“It was, but I was using it to try and figure out just how smitten you are with Alec, and you know it! So?”

“So what?” Magnus responded innocently.

“So how gone for him are you?”

Resisting the fight, Magnus decides to just give in.

“Not too far yet, but it has the potential to be more. A lot more,” he confesses quietly.

“Well, for my part, he’s one of the best people I’ve met in terms of brains, decency and kindness, and he is absolutely the best of all us dates,” she tells him emphatically.

“Plus, he’s seriously fucking hot!” She says, eyeing Alec off herself as he and Tom stumble past.

“He’s gorgeous!” Magnus groans in response.

He and Lisa had finished their dance, with Lisa providing her opinion happily on all his other ‘dates’, but Magnus’s mind had stayed stuck on her words regarding Alec. 

He could’ve kissed her, when after their dance was finished she had marched her way over to Alec and Tom, and taking Tom in her arms, had directed Alec to Magnus, leaving the dance instructor to helplessly shrug her shoulders and begin pairing up the others. 

“Do I look ok?”

Alec looked up from his work as Semi walked out to the patio, and asked the group at large, their opinion.

As Alec took in the buttery coloured pants the young man was wearing, and the tight gold vest he’d paired over the cream coloured peasant blouse, he couldn’t help thinking that he and Magnus would make a striking pair. They both knew precisely how to amplify their best features, with the way they present themselves to the world. 

The soft and vulnerable air that Semi projected would contrast beautifully with the striking masculinity that surrounded Magnus. Alec found himself slightly jealous, as he thought he could never hope to visually match Magnus as much as the younger man. He also couldn’t figure out how Magnus pulled off such a masculine look while wearing make-up and glitter, but that was a whole other story. The mystery of Magnus he supposed.

Despite that small resentment of Semi, Alec quickly offered his own reassurances to him, glad he did when he took in the grateful smile his friend sent him. Alec quickly lowered his head back to his notebook after returning his smile, strangely reluctant to get involved any further.

“You figure out what you are going to be doing yet?” Josh asked from his spot beside Alec. 

The serious-looking man had quietly sat himself down next to Alec after lunch, after checking it was ok. 

Alec had been a little hesitant at first despite enjoying his company, as he had needed to get some work done. Still, the man had proved unassuming, merely sitting down to his book, and occasionally looking over to the larger group sitting near the pool.

“Helicopter or plane, I guess,” Semi responded with a bashful smile. “The clue said ‘come fly with me’ so it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Hot air balloon,” Alec said quietly without looking up

“What’d you say, Alec?” Asked Charnze, as Josh quirked an eyebrow at him. 

Swallowing a sigh, Alec looked around to see everyone looking at him curiously.

“Hot air ballooning is another option,” he repeated, his conversation with Magnus from their date flashing through his mind.

“That would be exciting!” Lisa beamed at Semi, directing everyone’s attention away from Alec.

“That would be very romantic,” Brianna agreed, Tom nodding quietly beside her.

“Plus, the timeline makes sense,” Kim contributed, looking up from her own book.

“Mid-afternoon date would have you up in the air for sunset.”

“Sooo romantic!” Brianna purred.

As everyone continued to talk about the possibilities of Semi’s date, Alec’s suggestion now being the hot favourite for what their activities will be, Alec attempted to redirect his attention back to his work. Slowly, he became aware of Josh’s eyes on him, and looking up, he saw understanding in the man’s gaze.

“It’s not easy talking about someone’s date with someone else, when you like one of those people, is it?” Josh asked him.

Alec chuckled softly in response.

“It’s one of the many bizarre situations this show has caused us, I guess.”

Alec felt himself frown slightly as he considered the calm expression on Josh’s face.

“You seem to be doing ok, though.”

Josh sent him an enigmatic look, his eyes briefly moving away from Alec’s and over to the group before looking back with a wry smile.

“Looks can be deceiving.”

Alec watched as Josh stood up and gathered his book before he walked back inside the house, stopping to wish Semi good luck on his date as he went past.

Wondering what that was about, he noticed Charnze and Lisa’s eyes following Josh with the same puzzled look.

As the driver came to pick up Semi, Alec joined the others in wishing the other man good luck on his date.

“Have a great time, Semi. I’m sure Magnus has something wonderful planned for you.”

“Thanks, Alec,” Semi replies gratefully, giving a last wave to everyone before following the driver out to the car.

As Alec begins to resume his work, his attention is once more pulled away, by someone joining him at his table. Looking up, he can’t hold back the look of surprise that crosses his face when he sees Felicity sitting in the seat occupied by Josh just a few minutes earlier. He does, however, manage to swallow his sigh of annoyance.

“Hi, Alec, how are you doing?” She asks, her voice too sweet for Alec’s liking, and immediately setting him on edge.

“Fine thanks, Felicity. How are you?” He endeavours to reply politely.

“I’m good, thank you so much for asking. Do you mind if I sit out here with you for a little while? I can’t take that toxic atmosphere inside anymore.”

“I’ve got to try and get some work done,” he begins excusing, but upon seeing the stubborn look on the woman’s face, simply shrugs his shoulders. “But, you’re fine to sit there if you want, I guess.”

“Thank you so much,” she tells him, sending him a grateful smile, before moving her chair back into the sun slightly, and leaning back. Seeing her relax, seemingly content to sit quietly and absorb the sun’s rays, Alec wonders if he’d misjudged her, or if there was something else going on that he hadn’t yet figured out. 

Deciding it wasn’t something he had to worry about just yet, he turned back to his work, continuing his first draft chapters, having finally finished his outline and gotten it approved a few days ago.

Not being able to access a computer had made it difficult but not impossible to keep on top of the timeline he had set for himself to write his book. He had handed his finished outline to Clary last week, who had then driven home to NYC for her days off to spend time with Jace, dropping Alec’s work off to his editor along the way. At the end of her three days off, she had picked up the finished approval, including the notes his editor had included and handed it back to him. 

Reportedly, there were a few other people at the house who were doing similar things for work or keeping in contact with family. Written work or communication could be given and handed off to a producer. Said producer would then check it to ensure no leaks regarding the show were going out, before sending it off to the appropriate place. The same would then happen in reverse for incoming correspondence.

Phone calls followed the same pattern, only with a producer or assistant sitting beside you as you talked on the speakerphone and carefully waving off any topic that got to close to the show.

Alec had attempted a few conversations with Izzy and Jace, with either Simon or Clary as his shadow, but without fail, it had ended with Alec sitting back and listening as the others talked.

He had also managed a couple of conversations with his parents, who hadn’t been happy to find him in his current situation. Alec was relieved to find that most of their discomfort appeared on his behalf, knowing that it was not a situation Alec would relish. Still, it was clear a part of them didn’t approve of one of their children being apart of such a show that they normally ridiculed.

For the most part, Alec had tried to shrug off their concerns and Izzy and Jace’s teasing, and enjoy the contact with his loved ones, while he missed them just a little bit more than before. After all, he hadn’t had a lot of time to spend with them before being pulled onto the show. Having always been close to his family, he usually enjoyed surrounding himself with them for a few weeks upon returning from a trip.

Back at his table, Alec continued to work, while Brianna, Charnze, Kim and Tom continued to murmur in the background, at a nearby table, and Felicity sun-baked. About forty minutes after joining him, Felicity popped her head up and brought her chair back in under the shade of the umbrella with a quiet, “I don’t want to risk getting burned.”

Having looked up when she moved, he gave her a brief smile in response before looking back down.

“What are you working on?” She asked him.

“I’m working on my book,” he told her, looking up only long enough to speak, trying to make it clear he wasn’t interested in a conversation.

“Are you trying to be an author?” She asked that same sweetness in her voice, this time coloured with a slight tone of condescension.

“It’s actually my third book,” he replied tightly, casting a quick glance over to the others to see if he could find some help.

“Oh, wow! So you’re an actual author! I assume that your previous two books have been published? That’s wonderful,” she tells him at his quiet nod.

“So what are your books about?”

“I write travel books,” he tells her, putting his pen down as he realises that for the time being at least, he’s not going to get any work done.

“Oh my goodness, I love to travel! I travel a lot for my work. I’m a model. I’m usually stuck in the tourist trap areas, but I do love to explore a little when I get the chance,” she tells him excitedly.

Despite his reservations, Alec can feel himself getting pulled into the conversation, always eager to talk about his travels and hear about others. He’d had quite a few stories come out of hearing others tell him about some remote part of the world he had yet to discover.

Sitting back in his chair, he gives Felicity a challenging smile and asks his favourite question of a fellow traveller.

“What’s your favourite place you’ve been to and where do you want to go that you haven’t managed yet?”

“Wow, you want me to pick?” She asks incredulously.

“Let’s see. Favourite place so far would have to be . . . Argentina,” she declares.

“From the top to the bottom is so different. I’ve spent most of my time in Buenos Aires or just outside of it, either working or watching my previous boyfriend play polo, but in my own free time, I went up to Iguazu National Park and saw the falls up there. Have you seen them? They are incredible!”

“They are beautiful.” Alec agreed. “I saw them on the first trip I took by myself.” 

“I adore them. I read about them in some tourist brochure, my first modelling trip in Argentina, and had to go see them. I’ve been back twice since.

For a place, I still want to go? I don’t know. Probably Australia. It sounds fascinating, but it’s soooo far away, and I get bored on long plane flights.”

“I love Australia. You should definitely make the trip out,” Alec tells her.

The two of them settle into their conversation, Felicity quite comfortably, Alec slightly less so, but for reasons, he couldn’t quite say. Alec makes his excuses, after an hour or so, explaining that he really has to get back to his work, so he doesn’t fall behind.

“No problem, I completely understand. Thank you so much for talking to me,” Felicity smiles, making absolutely no preparations to stand up.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a lot in common with most of the people here. They all seem like kind of a jealous bunch.”

“They seem alright to me for the most part. Still, nothing in our contracts said we have to make friends,” Alec says, at this point just wanting to finish the conversation and move on.

“True. Still, it’s nice to find one.”

Giving her a tight smile in response, Alec decides it’s going to be up to him to move away if he wants to keep working.

As Felicity watches, Alec gathers his notebooks and pens and moves inside, to look for a new quiet spot to work from, leaving the woman to move her chair back into the sun’s rays.

“That hot air balloon ride was amazing, Magnus. Thank you so much for sharing it with me,” Semi says with a blush.

“You’re very welcome,” Magnus tells him gracefully.

“It was a lot of fun, and I loved having you there with me to experience it.”

As the two of them approached their table at the restaurant where they would be having dinner, Magnus reflected on what a sweet young man Semi was.

He had thoroughly enjoyed his sedate balloon ride with Semi, the two of them exclaiming together over the beautiful views wide open to them. The sunset that had fallen over the horizon had given everything an almost mystical quality, elevating the experience to something magical. Magnus couldn’t help but think that even Alec would have been impressed by the experience.

“Are you hungry?” Magnus asks.

“I am! Who knew riding around in a giant balloon could work up such an appetite?” Semi chuckles.

“Who knew indeed,” Magnus agreed, handing Semi a menu and opening his own. He had just settled into a truly relaxed state of being when Semi spoke again.

“Oh look, wild salmon with mustard! You know I was never that fond of salmon, but Alec has cooked it a few times now, and I’ve grown to really like it.”

“Alec cooks?” Magnus enquired, silently telling himself it was bad etiquette to talk about one man while on a date with another. Still, he reasoned to himself, Semi was the one who brought Alexander up, not me.

“Oh, Alec’s a great cook!” Semi tells him, excited to share something about his new friend.

“He does a lot of the cooking at the house for us. He says it relaxes him, but I think that’s only true when we leave him to do it alone. He’s a great guy, but I don’t think he’s all that comfortable living with so many other people. He tends to spend as much time alone as he can. I’m much too curious about people to do the same,” Semi continues, unaware that he only has half of his date’s attention as Magnus reflects on Alec’s ‘grumpy, isolating bastard’ finally making an appearance. 

Despite Lily’s and Simon’s assurances that their friend was a grumpy sod who in general disliked being around other people, Magnus had begun to wonder and hope. Every time he’d been with Alec, he’d found him to be friendly, charming and utterly lovely.

Maybe, it’s me, Magnus thinks hopefully, before forcing himself to refocus on Semi, aware that he had lost the thread of the conversation. Quickly picking it back up, Magnus lets his thoughts on Alec drift away for a time, to give his date his full attention. 

He finds Semi to be an intriguing prospect for this experience. He adores the man’s company, and always has a wonderful time with him, the two never running out of topics of conversation and sharing many things in common. Yet for all that, despite the man’s attractive qualities, both inner and outer, Magnus feels not a spec of attraction for him.

In all ways, he should be a perfect partner for Magnus. He enjoys the social life, much as Magnus does, they share the same flair for fashion and expression, they both thrive in challenging expectations and are both desperately wanting love in their life.

It was also evident in the way that Semi looked at and responded to him, that he did feel an attraction for Magnus. It presented a conundrum for the Bachelor, as he genuinely enjoyed the other man’s company and didn’t want to send him home yet. However, he was also reluctant to lead the younger man on in any way, not wanting to be responsible for causing any hurt to someone he was becoming so fond of.

At the end of the date, he was still in two minds as to what to do, but unsure what direction to go ultimately decided to play it safe and give the young man a rose, along with a kiss on the cheek, politely avoiding the lip-lock the other man had clearly been going for.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Magnus felt compelled to explain.

“I find, I’m not wanting to rush into any physical moments right now. With dating so many people, it wouldn’t feel right. Do you understand?”

“Of course! Yeah!” Semi rushed to agree, eager to ease Magnus’s discomfort at having rejected him.

Giving a small smile at the other man’s generosity and sweetness, as he said goodnight, Magnus couldn’t help but think the young man was much too good a person to be on this show.

“Alec, I thought I lost you there for a minute,” Felicity announces, slipping her arm through Alec’s before turning her smile to the other’s that Alec had recently found sanctuary with.

He’d been unable to shake Felicity these last two days, the woman showing up wherever Alec was. He found he couldn’t complain too much as if she approached while he was working, she would sit quietly in his presence, flipping through an old magazine or a book. 

As much as he preferred to be left alone when he was working (and many other times too if he was honest), he also understood that there were very few places where the dates could find a quiet spot to sit in with so many people still living in the resort, and contestants being discouraged from hanging out in their rooms.

Alec would assume that Felicity was simply using his presence as a buffer to the others, if not for the fact that she had also sought his attention out when he was making dinner the night before. She had then proceeded to stick close to his side all day today, no matter what he was doing. 

Now at the cocktail party, he was hoping she would be attracted more by Magnus and give him a little space, and certainly, she had kept herself close to Magnus throughout. Unfortunately, she had simply dragged Alec along with her as she had followed Magnus around the room, almost like she was showing Alec off to him.

A little while ago, she had excused herself to get a drink, after dropping numerous hints to Alec to either fetch one for her or accompany her had failed. He had taken the opportunity to fold himself into a group with Semi, Charnze, Lisa, and Kim. Brianna and Josh had joined them not long after Alec and the seven of them had been having a wonderful time.

Now that Felicity had joined them, there seemed to be a distinct change in the dynamic as the laughter had died back slightly, and Kim, Brianna and Semi had fallen away to join Jenni, Sam and Janet nearby. Alec and Charnze were left awkwardly conversing with Felicity, while Josh and Lisa stood silently by with unimpressed looks on their faces when Magnus approached.

“How is everyone doing?” Magnus asked, his gaze initially falling on Alec, but moving reluctantly to Felicity as she immediately jumped in to answer.

“We’re fabulous, Magnus! But more importantly, how are you?”

“I’m wonderful, thank you, Felicity.”

“Good,” she cooed at him, causing Alec to exchange an amused look with Lisa at the sugary sweetness in her voice.

“I must confess,” Felicity continued, moving from Alec’s arm to Magnus’s in one smooth movement, “I loved having an opportunity to dance with you the other day.”

“I’m glad,” Magnus answered, his eyes flicking between Felicity and Alec, not settling on either, despite Alec not being a part of their conversation.

“It was wonderful dancing with you all as well. I thoroughly enjoyed our group date the other day.”

“Oh, it was a wonderful day,” Felicity agreed, “though I’d love to have some more one on one lessons with you. I have a feeling there’s a lot you could teach me, and maybe there are a few moves I could teach you as well,” she purred suggestively.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Josh told the group with a disgusted expression on his face, moving away, only pausing briefly when Semi and Lisa asked him to wait up.

Alec was about to join them when Magnus reached out and captured his arm.

“That would be wonderful, Felicity, hopefully, one day we can set up another dancing lesson for the group. In the meantime, I was hoping to grab a private word with Alexander.”

Alec had turned back surprised when Magnus had grabbed his arm, but at his words, he unconsciously stepped a little closer to the man.

“Oh, of course! Perhaps we could grab a quiet moment the two of us after. You know, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to talk to you one on one yet.”

As she spoke, she had run her fingers up and down Magnus’s arm in an intimate gesture. Alec found himself getting annoyed on Magnus’s behalf as he watched the man squeeze out a small smile in response before stepping away.

“I’ll make some time for us to chat tonight then.”

“You handled her very diplomatically,” Alec said as he walked away with Magnus

Truthfully, Magnus found the woman’s attentions a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t the first time someone had flirted with him like that, small touches and seductive words. Usually, he’d laugh it off and move away, or somewhat more commonly, he’d flirt back, enjoying the mischievous banter whether he would let it go further or not.

However, having Felicity flirt with him like that in front of Alec felt oddly deceitful. The urge to apologise to the man at his side and assure him it meant nothing was almost overpowering.

“I’m well-used to being flirted with, Alexander,” he says instead.

“Oh, I can imagine,” Alec responds laughingly.

As they arrive outside, Magnus directs him over to the small alcove where cameras were set up, Simon, Clary and a couple of camera operators waiting.

There were times, mostly when he was with Alexander, that Magnus forgot all about being on camera, his love life being a public spectacle for the masses. Then there were times that the truth was so blatantly shoved in his face, he had no option of forgetting.

For now, he chooses to ignore it all and focus on Alec. 

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of the man, and the thought that Alec wasn’t as invested in this relationship as he was. The fear he felt that he might be all alone in his regards was overwhelming, and he had promised himself to try and seek some reassurance that he wasn’t falling alone. That Alec was there to hold his hand as they fell together.

“How has the rest of your week gone?” He asked Alec, trying to find his way to getting the information he wanted.

“Yeah, good,” Alec told him, “I’ve managed to keep up with my schedule so far, writing, so I’m happy with that. Funnily enough, I think being on the show has helped in that regard,” he tells him with a grin.

“Oh, how so?” Magnus asks, somewhat captivated by the way Alec lit up when talking about his work.

“Well, with no internet or social media, no going out, except for the odd date with you, no friends or family to distract me,” Alec explains, “I’ve found lots of time to write. In fact, I’m slightly ahead of schedule.”

“Well, I’ll take payment in advance copies of your new book then,” Magnus declares with a smile.

“I didn’t think travel books would be your type of thing,” Alec tells him a little shyly.

“Well, I’m currently reading the second of your books, having finished the first earlier this week, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” Magnus tells him, forgetting all about his own embarrassment at his disclosure, as he watched a sweet blush blossom over Alexander’s face.

“You’re reading my books?” He asks Magnus, disbelief and happiness at Magnus’s admission all over his face.

“I am,” Magnus confirmed.

“Huh. I don’t know what to say,” Alec says shyly, lowering his head slightly and hiding himself away somewhat.

“They’re best-selling non-fiction books, Alec. Surely you were aware that people read them?’ Magnus asked, amused at Alec’s embarrassment.

“Yeah, I know people have read them, and I’ve met people that have read them. I just didn’t expect that you’d read them,” he explains.

“Well, I was talking about them with one of the producers, and he mentioned having his copies here with him, and so he lent them to me.”

Catching the small glance that Magnus gave Simon, Alec looked up at the other man himself and felt himself give a happy smile in response to the grin and cheeky wink Simon sent his way.

“Well, I hope you continue to like them,” Alec tells him, finally looking up to catch Magnus’s eye again.

“I’m loving them!” Magnus assures him, enjoying being the confident one again as they talked. He wasn’t used to the nervous butterflies Alec set off in him, and finally being the one who was acting secure and confident rather than stumbling over his words and getting caught out staring, was reassuring. Finally, he was starting to feel like himself again.

“They make me want to take off travelling for a few years,” Magnus tells him. “I’ve travelled some already, but reading your books, I have a feeling there is so much I’ve missed out on.”

“Well, maybe when this whole circus is over, I can show you a few sights you might have missed along the way,” Alec tells him, his blush flaring back up again as he spoke. 

Upon hearing Alec’s words, Magnus felt his whole body seem to flush warmly, a giant smile lighting up his face at the confirmation that Alec was thinking beyond this show to their future. Seeing Alec give him a blinding smile in response, Magnus can’t help the thought that coming on this show was the best decision he had ever made.

“Where do you recommend we begin our journey?” Magnus asks with a smile. A smile that quickly fell when Camille and Silvana approached them and asked to interrupt.

“We just haven’t had a chance to talk to you all night,” Silvana tells him sweetly, sitting herself down in one of the two chairs that just conveniently appeared in front of Alexander and himself.

He was pleased to see that Camille looked slightly uncomfortable with her part in the interruption, but as she saw Magnus look up at her, she gave him a soft smile and hesitated over her chair.

“You don’t mind, do you?” She asks Magnus.

He’s just about to answer when Alec jumps in instead.

“Of course not. I should be moving on anyway,” Alec says, smiling slightly at the two women, before turning a brighter smile to Magnus.

“I’ll talk to you later, Magnus. We’ll make some travel plans.”

“Sounds wonderful, Alexander,” he says in response, trying not to let his disappointment colour his tone.

He tries not to let his eyes follow Alec, as the man stands and giving them all a small nod, steps away and heads back to the party, but he knows ultimately, the camera couldn’t have helped but catch his wistful look.

Turning back to the two women, Magnus gives them both a wide smile, remembering that he is here to spend time with everyone, not just Alec.

“I have to tell you, Magnus,” Camille told him softly with a smile, “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed dancing so much. Where did you learn ballroom like that?”

“My mother was a huge fan of dancing,” Magnus tells her brightly, always happy to share stories of his beloved mother. 

“She used to drag me to those ballroom dancing competitions whenever they came to town, and then when we got home, would twirl me around the room, teaching me the steps,” he told the girls with a smile. “She wanted to be a dancer when she was younger but rolled her ankle one time too many to ever be able to do it professionally. She never let it stop her from dancing though, constantly pulling me up to dance, and when my step-father came along, she would drag us both in.”

“She sounds wonderful,” Camille says.

“Oh, she was,” Magnus says softly.

“When did you lose her?” Camille asks softly, understanding in her eyes.

“When I was 19.”

“I lost mine when I was 17,” she told him, the two of them sharing a quiet moment of mutual understanding in what they’d lost.

“I still have my Mum with me,” Silvana cuts in, “but she’s just crazy enough that sometimes I wish I was in your position, instead,” she tells the two of them.

After a brief second looking at Silvana, shock and disbelief thrumming through him at the unknowing insensitivity of the woman’s words, Magnus pulls himself together and attempts to move on.

“Well, I’m sure you would change your mind if you ever were in our position, but no mind. You both look absolutely fabulous tonight! Where did you get such gorgeous dresses?” He asks, moving on to where he felt comfortable. He gives Camille a quick squeeze of the hand when he sees she needs another gesture of support, as Silvana rushes to answer. Watching Camille try to blink away the tears in her eyes, he engages Silvana in a conversation about favourite designers to give her another minute.

Eventually, Camille rejoins the conversations, and the three of them spend another few minutes talking before being interrupted again.

This time George appears to ask Magnus for a little of his time. Magnus is beginning to feel like a favoured toy getting passed from person to person, but turns to smile at George and agree to a talk. Smiling a goodbye at the two women sitting with them, he rises from his seat as they both unwillingly move to stand, and gives them another smile as they walk away to rejoin the party.

As George takes the spot just vacated by Camille, Magnus gives him a bright smile and reflects that he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to converse with the man since this whole thing began. It’s a pity Magnus thought, seeing as he had that adorable British accent that Magnus would quite happily listen to for hours. 

However, they’d only been talking for a few minutes when he feels his opinion start to change.

He’d been happily admiring the man’s beautiful bone structure, and enjoying the small talk they were exchanging that allowed him to listen to that beautiful accent when George leant in conspiratorially.

“You know, you really shouldn’t be spending so much time with the woman throughout all this.”

“I’m sorry?” Magnus asks, not sure he had heard the lawyer correctly.

“This whole show has an opportunity to do a lot for the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s all going to be pointless if you go home at the end of it with a woman,” George tells him, with a serious look.

Finding himself flabbergasted by the sheer audacity of some people, for the second time in less than 20 minutes, Magnus struggles to find something to say.

“Well, as much as I want to help a community I am so proud to be a part of, and a community I have always worked to help, I am primarily here to find love,” he explains tightly.

“Being a bi-sexual, I am open to finding that love with a man or a woman, and I won’t dismiss someone simply because they identify as a woman, instead of a man, no matter what you feel it might do for the community.”

“I don’t mean to upset you, Magnus,” George tells him, somewhat condescendingly. “But surely you see what will happen if you chose a woman at the end of all this. They’ll say you chose a woman because that is what a proper relationship should be. If you chose a man though, it would show that our relationships are just as valuable and important.”

“Love is love, George, and that will be what I chose at the end of this show if I should be lucky enough to find it. In the meantime, I must return to the party,” he says, standing up. “I’ve been away for some time now, and it’s bad etiquette to be absent for so long when it’s me they’re here to see.”

With that, Magnus strides back into the party and begins chatting with Jenni, Charnze and Josh, the first people he comes across when he steps inside.

He finds it quite amusing when after not receiving a rose at the end of the rose ceremony, George manages to look surprised, like he didn’t know where he went wrong in his quest for Magnus’s affections.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed the latest chapter. I apologise that it’s a little later than usual, but I got caught up finishing work for the year, and, of course, Christmas.  
> Next chapter should be out in around two weeks, but if you find yourself looking for something else to read in the meantime, feel free to check out my new story ‘Imitating Life’ which I update on alternate weeks from this one.  
> I am also hoping to have a couple of one shots out over the next three weeks, while I enjoy some uninterrupted writing time before returning to work, so keep an eye out for those.  
> As always, constructive feedback, is encouraged, but please be kind. Comments and kudo’s give me motivation to keep going so drop one below if you haven’t already.  
> In the meantime, please stay safe, healthy and happy wherever in the world you are.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> George   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet  
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus continues his fascination with Alec and pulls in a helping hand to try and gain some clarity. Relationships among Magnus and the dates, continue to grow and evolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A full list of the remaining dates can be found in the end notes for those that want it.

“So what are we doing this week?”

“I want to do a cooking class for the group date, is that possible?” Magnus tells Simon.

“Um, it should be. Let me make a few enquires. I think I’ve got a few ideas to make that work,” Simon said, looking through the contacts on his phone. 

“I don’t think we’ve ever done a cooking class on the show before,” Simon says, not even looking up from his phone. “What made you think of it?”

“I’m not sure,” Magnus replies with an air of casualness. “It just came to me.”

Magnus studiously avoids looking at Simon when he feels the other man look up and begin studying him. Instead, he continues flipping through the date book, looking for ideas for his single date.

“You know who is a really good cook?” Simon asks with an exaggerated tone.

“Who?” 

“Alec,” Simon says with an overly innocent voice. “Alec is a really good cook.”

“Is that right?” Magnus asks, still casually looking through the folder. He knows what Simon is doing, and he refuses to rise to the bait.

“It is.” 

The two of them spend the next 30 seconds sitting in silence; Simon watching Magnus with eagle eyes, and Magnus refusing to look up.

“I suppose that means it’s not worth inviting Alec on this one then since he doesn’t need to know how to cook.”

This immediately draws Magnus’s attention up as he prepares to protest Simon’s latest statement.

However, the second he looks up into the other man’s face, he realises he took the bait.

“Fine. So someone might have let slip that Alec can cook and I want to see it. Is that so bad?” He whined.

“No, it’s not bad,” Simon says with a chuckle. “So who else are we sending on this date? Or do we only need Alec?”

“You know, I really don’t like you,” Magnus tells him grumpily.

“Oh, stop. You know you love me,” Simon tells him with a wink. “So who else are we sending?”

Between coordinating the dates and making their plans over the last few weeks, the two men have become close. As such, Magnus couldn’t resist sending a little of the teasing back at Simon. 

“So how are things going with the darling Isabelle? Any progress?” 

“No. Yes. I don’t know. I’m thinking I should just give it up,” Simon tells him softly.

Seeing the heavy look on the other man’s face, Magnus drops his plans to tease. 

“Why would you give it up?” He asks softly.

“Because I have been in love with Isabelle for almost a year now, and I am no closer to being with her than I was when we first met,” Simon explains sadly.

“Isabelle is like nothing you’ve ever seen before, Magnus. She is one of the strongest, most beautiful, most intelligent women you have ever met. There is no way she’d ever be interested in someone like me.”

“You mean a sweet, kind, funny, considerate, smart and cute as all hell, man? That’s the type of man she would never be interested in?” Magnus asks softly.

As Simon gives him a shaky smile in response, Magnus reaches out and takes his hand.

“Simon, all you can do is try. Either it will work or it won’t, but either way, you have to try, or you’ll always wonder. From what you’ve told me, and I’m not sure you’ve done that yet. Am I wrong?” He asks gently.

“No, I suppose not. I’m not sure I’m ready to do that, though. If I do and it doesn’t work, then I have to face the fact that it’s over. I think I want to cling to the dream a little longer,” Simon explains.

“I understand that,” Magnus says with a soft smile.

“Besides, that guy you’re so hooked up on makes a scary possible brother-in-law. I get the idea that if I hurt his sister, he’ll kill me,” Simon says with a smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

“I think you’re probably right. He’s very capable and virile,” Magnus tells him with a wink.

Ignoring Simon’s groan, Magnus offers up one last comment before they move on.

“In the meantime, you let me vent to you, and I’ll let you vent to me. Deal?” 

“Deal,” Simon replies.

“And going on the single date is . . . Oh, me!” Says Kim, surprise written all over her face before a large smile breaks out.

‘Let’s loosen the reins and enjoy some unbridled enthusiasm,’ she reads from the card. 

“Well, I’m going horse-riding again! Cool,” she says. “Brianna, who’s on the group date?”

As Brianna stands up from beside Alec, she exchanges a hi-five with Kim.

“Nice going on the single date, girlfriend!”

“Thank you!” Kim says with a smile, claiming Brianna’s seat as the other woman turns to everyone else.

“Ok, so the group date clue is ‘Let’s turn up the heat and make a meal of it.’” Looking out at everyone, Brianna cocks her eyebrow at Kim and Alec. “A Restaurant?”

As they both shrug in response, Camille cuts in.

“Can we hear who’s going on the date please,” a simpering sweet smile on her face.

“Absolutely, Camille,” Brianna says with a curtsy, causing Alec and Kim, and more than a few others to chuckle under their breath.

“So going on the group date is Alec,” hearing his name once again, Alec fights back a happy little smile but accepts the little hand squeeze from Kim and congratulatory smile from Charnze.

“Samantha,” Brianna says continuing, “Tom, Camille, Me, Charnze, Josh and Rebecca. That’s everyone!” She finishes.

As people begin either celebrating or commiserating their date status for the week, Alec stands up to move away, Charnze stands up to join him. 

“Wait for me. If you’re escaping, so am I.”

“Me too.’ 

“And me!” Lisa and Semi add.

Alec waits with a smile as everyone stands, wondering what happened to his life.

If you had told him, even two months ago, that he would be living in some group house, and willingly spending time with a group of people who, at this point, he could only call his friends, he wouldn’t have believed it. And while he would absolutely kill (not literally, but almost) for some privacy and a few days to himself, he had to admit he didn’t actually hate it.

They headed out to the patio area and began to take a seat when Camille, John, Rebecca, Silvana and Harley came out, talking loudly and laughing, towels in their hands. Knowing that their quiet oasis had just been invaded, without a word, the four of them stood up and wandered back inside. 

Standing in the entranceway, the four of them look around, wondering what to do now, when Alec spots something on one of the shelves.

“Who’s up for a game?” He asks with a smile.

“That’s not a word, Alec!” Charnze yells indignantly.

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s a word!” Alec argues with a grin.

“Oh please! What could ‘wambled’ possibly mean?

“It means to move unsteadily,’ Josh announced as he walked into the dining room, where Alec had settled with Charnze, Lisa and Semi for a game of scrabble.

“Why?” Josh asked the room at large, his eyes quickly skipping over everyone before landing on Charnze.

“Oh, uh. Alec was trying to play it. I didn’t think it was a real word,” Charnze explained quietly.

“Right,” Alec answers. “Charnze thinks I cheat.”

“That’s not what I said,” he replies as Alec looks up with a smirk. “I just thought you were making up words, is all.”

“How is that different?” Lisa asks, laughing.

“It just is!” Charnze says with a blush. “Can we just keep on playing, please?”

“Right, well. That’s a double letter score on the B and a triple word score overall, so that’s. . . 72 points,” Alec announces with an innocent look.

“Smart-arse!” Charnze says as Semi begins looking up Alec’s word in the scrabble dictionary they found with the board game.

“You want a hand?” Josh asks Charnze, sneaking a peek at the scoreboard.

“You any good?”

“I’m alright,” Josh tells him with quiet confidence, looking down at Charnze.

Alec watches amused as Charnze abruptly breaks the eye contact and quietly answers.

“Take a seat.”

Alec shares an amused look with Lisa, who also caught the little exchange when Semi suddenly interrupts the quiet.

“What do you know!” He calls out with a wide grin. “It does mean to move unsteadily! You didn’t cheat!” He says, playfully hitting Alec on the arm, as everyone shares a laugh.

Later that night, he is sitting at the dinner table with the same group after dinner, plus Tom, for once having not been on dinner or clean-up duty and simply enjoying the time with his new friends. Alec had kicked everyone’s arse in each of the three games of scrabble the group had played together, though Charnze had come close on the last game they had played, with Josh’s assisting him.

“I still say, being a writer it’s cheating,” Charnze was saying insistently, the humour on his face taking the sting out of his accusation.

“It’s not cheating to be knowledgeable about vocabulary,” Lisa tells him, while Alec looks on smugly.

“It’s cheating because it’s his bloody job to know lots of words!” Charnze says, swinging his arm over Alec’s shoulder in a mock headlock.

“Well, this looks cozy!” Felicity says as she walks into the room and sits down next to Semi, on Alec’s other side.

“How are you, Felicity?” Alec asks quietly, bringing himself out from under Charnze’s arm.

“Oh, I’m fine. You know I started reading your book last night. It’s really quite good,” she tells Alec sounding somewhat surprised. “I’m planning to tell my agent to find me some work in Belize when we get released from this house.”

Alec frowns at her, slightly confused.

“How did you get a copy of my book?”

“Oh, you ask one of the assistants, and they’ll get you anything here.”

“Oh,” he replies somewhat flabbergasted. “Well, I’m flattered, I suppose, thanks. And you’ll love Belize if you head out there.”

“It sounds like it. What an ideal way to spend your mornings,” Felicity tells him.

“I’m feeling left out,” Lisa interrupts. “For those that haven’t read your books, what about Belize makes mornings ideal, Alec?”

“When I go to Belize, I always make sure I spend a little time at this resort called ‘Turtle Inn,’ in Placencia,” Alec begins to explain. “The beach is literally outside your door with the water about 25 feet away. I get up just before dawn and go out on the kayak and watch the sunrise out on the water. It’s completely quiet and peaceful, and you are surrounded by fish and dolphins swimming around you, even the occasional turtle.’

There is silence for a brief moment before Semi interrupts.

“That sounds freaking awesome! Except for the part about getting up before dawn, but otherwise, awesome!”

“It sounds amazing,” Tom said softly looking over at Alec.

“I like it. It’s my go-to place when I want to relax and unwind,” Alec says, smiling back. “It’s not cheap, but I know the manager, so I get a discounted rate. I usually also do a few tours and talks for them when I’m there.”

“I think I want to swap jobs,” Lisa announces, with a comically disgruntled look.

“And what do you do for work?” Felicity asks, sounding only somewhat interested.

“I’m a VP of marketing for Alicante Industries,” Lisa informs her, naming one of the top commercial real estate businesses in the U.S.

For a brief moment, Felicity sits there with a dumbfounded look on her face, obviously not having expected Lisa to name such a high-level and important job. However, after a few seconds, she shakes her surprise off and responds with a brittle smile on her face.

“Sounds horrific. I couldn’t handle some boring desk job, always stuck in the same building, day after day. I’m sure Alec agrees with me,” she says, reaching over and grasping his hand from where it sat resting on the table. “After all, we have so much in common.”

“I don’t know about that,” Alec says uncomfortably, trying politely to pull his hand out from under Felicity’s and managing it after a couple of seconds. “I do admit, I’d hate to work in an office, though.”

“You and me both,” Felicity agrees. Turning her attention to the other’s she gives them all a considering look.

“So what do all of you do?”

“I play professional football in Texas,” Charnze tells her.

“I’m self-employed,” Josh says. As Felicity raises her eyebrows in an apparent request for more information, Alec is amused when Josh just sits there quietly, meeting her look and not saying anything. 

Over the last week and a half, Alec had enjoyed getting to know the other man. Turns out, like Alec, he was quite the introvert also, preferring the quiet company of a few to the loud company of many. Josh had spent more than one afternoon, sitting quietly reading while Alec worked on his book, the two enjoying a quiet chat anytime Alec felt the need to take a break. 

It was during these talks that Alec had learned that self-employment meant being an award-winning artist. Alec actually had one of his paintings hanging in his apartment back in New York. Not that he or anyone else would know that as he worked under a pseudonym.

Meanwhile, not getting any more information from Josh, Felicity turned her attention to Tom, who immediately lowered his head to avoid her gaze.

“I’m a paediatrician,” he muttered.

“Lovely,” Felicity said with a smile.

“So Alec, when I do go to Belize, obviously I will be staying at the Turtle Inn, but what else should I do while I’m there?”

Alec was just about to answer when Camille came in from the kitchen, carrying the serving dishes that had obviously just been washed and were now ready to be put away. Alec was a little confused when Felicity hastily shushed Alec and made an amused grimace as she placed a finger to her lips.

Alec stayed silent as requested, more to not risk drawing Camille into a conversation than to do anything Felicity asked of him. It began to feel a little awkward though, as everyone fell silent, the conversation having obviously stopped the second Camille walked into the room, and Felicity made her gesture.

As she stood up from placing the plates in the buffet bench, Camille looked around a little awkwardly before walking back out. Feeling uncomfortable for reasons he wasn’t sure why, Alec stood up before anyone could begin talking again and excused himself for the night, claiming he was going to go shower and have an early night.

He waved goodbye as everyone called out goodnight and headed upstairs.

Two days later, Magnus stood talking to Simon and Michael as they waited for the dates to arrive at ‘Heart Foods,’ where today’s cooking class was being held.

He had been looking forward to this for days, eager to see Alec’s cooking skills for himself, as well as enjoy some time with a few of the dates whose company he has come to enjoy. He also had a bit of a surprise planned that he was very excited about, and was very eager to see the end result of.

As one of the owners and the head instructor of the small business approached them, Magnus turned to her with a smile.

“Are we good to go, Lan?” 

“Ready when you are, Magnus,” she tells him with a smile.

“We’ve got all the stations ready to go for as soon as the demonstration ends. I must admit that I’m very excited to work with your friend during the individual cooking experiences. He’s such a wonderful chef. It’ll be great to have him help guide your dates.”

“He’ll probably be no help at all, honestly,” Magnus tells her cheekily. “He’ll spend the entire time telling them what they’re doing wrong but feel free to whack him with a spatula if he gets too far out of line.”

“I heard that!” Raphael grumbles as he too walks over to the small group in the entrance hall, having just left the kitchens.

“I meant for you to hear that,” Magnus tells him smugly, before looking at his friend with a smile.

“Thank you for doing this Raphael. I really do appreciate the second opinion.”

“Like I was going to give up the opportunity to gather more ammunition on you,” Raphael tells him dryly. “Caterina would never forgive me if I didn’t come out here to check on your status as ‘Casanova extraordinaire’ as she puts it.”

“She would put it like that,” Magnus says nostalgically, suddenly missing his friend.

“She did put it like that. Those were her literal words,” Raphael tells him dryly.

“I wish she was here,” Magnus tells him sadly.

“She does too,” Raphael tells him understandingly.

At that moment, Simon interrupted to let them know that the cars were 2 minutes away.

“Oh, ok,” Magnus breathed out nervously, speaking under his breath. “He’s here.”

“He?” Raphael asked enquiringly, while Simon smirked behind him.

“They, they’re here,” Magnus hurriedly corrects, before turning to walk to the front.

“Shut up, Simon,” he says, not even slowing down as he walks past the man.

As they pulled up outside of ‘Heart Foods’ Alec could feel a little excitement begin to build inside. He’d been looking forward to seeing Magnus all day but had given little thought to what they would actually be doing. Arriving at the building though, Alec immediately recognised it, having heard all about it from a friend who had attended a cooking class here for a Bachelorette night.

“We’re doing a cooking lesson!” He announces excitedly to the group as they exit the car.

“Oh, that sounds like fun!” The quiet Sam says softly, Charnze and Brianna enthusiastically agreeing.

“I can’t really cook,” Rebecca says worriedly.

“I don’t cook.” Camille declares decisively.

“I like cooking,” Josh says quietly, looking up at the building interestedly.

“I love it,” Alec tells him.

“Me too,” Tom agrees, smiling up at Alec.

“Welcome everyone!”

Alec and the other dates look up to see Michael and Magnus walking out to greet everyone.

Listening to Michael with half an ear, Alec let his eyes trail over Magnus, eagerly taking in every detail of the man he hadn’t seen for the last few days.

He was dressed in tapered black pants and heeled boots that looked to be just high enough to take those two to three inches he needed to meet or surpass Alec’s height. The studs that ran down the boots’ front and back were echoed in the black dress shirt with metallic silver thread—the studs on the shirt sitting in rows across the top of his shoulders and down the middle. 

The whole outfit should look outlandish and ridiculous, and probably would on anyone else, but combined with the dark shadowing and liner around his eyes and the upswept hair showing off his undercut, Magnus looked strong, dramatic and beautiful, Alec thought.

As everyone began moving inside, Alec was pleased to see Magnus sweep his eyes over Alec’s outfit also, though he couldn’t help but feel a little like a fraud as Magnus cast an appreciative look at his outfit. 

He’d been slowly working his way through the clothes that Izzy sent, using the most casual of the items for around the house and the most formal for the cocktail parties and rose ceremonies. That left a variety of clothes that he would typically not wear if given a choice, for his dates. 

Today, he had chosen a pair of olive green skinny chinos with a short sleeve white button-up. A faint leaf pattern in various shades of muted green, ran through the shirt, giving the fabric a hint of depth and movement, that did great things for his physique. Or so Jenni had told him as she had sent him off today, sending him back to change his outfit twice before giving her approval. 

For Alec’s part, he quite liked the outfit, though if he were honest, he missed his old blue jeans, the black pullover shirts and his oversized and over-soft sweaters.

As Alec follows everyone into the large studio kitchen, he pulls his focus away from Magnus and focuses on Lan Goh, the head cook at ‘Heart Food’ and a chef that Alec has followed online since his friend had told him about her. 

He’d tried out quite a few of her recipes on YouTube when he was home and had always enjoyed her easy manner and creative ideas. He’d also loved the results of her recipes and repeated them for friends and family later.

He was excited to see what they would be doing today, and sat down eagerly when instructed, to listen.

“Good afternoon, and welcome to Heart Foods! My name is Lan Goh, and I am your head chef instructor here today. I run Heart Foods with my husband, Tan, and it is our passion to cook good food that satisfies people’s stomachs and souls. It sounds corny, I know, but there are many, many different appetites out there.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” Magnus called out with a sly wink, causing quite a few to laugh at his antics, Alec being one of them. His giggle faded away into a blush though, when Magnus turned to look at him and winked again just for Alec. Ignoring the fluttering nerves that action brought about in him, he turned and refocused back on their host, sending the Bachelor a quick smile before he did so.

“Thank you, Magnus,” Lan said with a soft chuckle of her own. “And with that, I, unfortunately, don’t have my husband here to help out today, but we are very fortunate to have one of my favourite chefs here with us from New York. Please welcome Chef Raphael Santiago!”

Alec joined the others in clapping to welcome the man who walked up beside Lan. Casually yet stylishly dressed in blue jeans and a crisp white shirt, he looked relatively young to be a head chef, let alone one with a reputation, though Alec hadn’t heard of him. 

Camille obviously had though, as Alec watched her suddenly sit up straight and, after glancing a quick glance at Magnus, turn back to the new chef and giving him a bright smile.

Alec couldn’t help the selfish wish that Camille had decided to turn her attention from Magnus to this new person, leaving the path to Magnus clear for him.

“Hello everyone,” the man said, sounding slightly bored, as he cast his eyes along all the dates. “I’m happy to be here and seeing what you are all capable of.”

With that, the new chef stepped back and disengaged from the group, obviously having no further wish at this time to be a part of the conversation or introduction.

Wondering how they managed to talk the chef into doing this when he seemed to have little to no desire to interact with anyone, Alec began to turn attention back to Lan. As he did, he noticed Chef Raphael cast a long, more-appraising glance over them all now that he thought no one was paying attention to him. He showed only vague surprise when his eyes finally met Alec, who was sitting second from the end. At Alec’s curious look, he gave a discreet nod, before turning a bored look back to Magnus.

Alec was amazed by the fact that one of the producers had managed to find someone even less sociable than Alec to appear on the show.

“So,” Lan continued, “today we will spend an hour or so going through some basic cooking instructions, before moving on to the actual cooking. Now when we do that, we will be separating the eight of you into four groups of two, and each pair will be responsible for a dish to cook. 

Now, I know everyone is eager to spend some time with our handsome Bachelor here,” she said, smiling at Magnus who gave her a flirtatious look back, “so he will circulate among the four groups and spend a bit of time working with all of you. 

In honour of our Bachelor, today we will be enjoying an Indonesian menu, including a favourite of our Bachelor’s, ‘Rendang Daging, a beef and coconut stew. Another dish will be Ayam Satay, which is grilled turmeric chicken skewers. The third pair will be cooking Gado Gado, which is steamed Vegetables with Kecap Kachang, a sweet soy peanut sauce. The last pair will be cooking Nadi Kuning, also known as Turmeric Rice, as well as Bumbu Merah, a fragrant spice paste.”

“Yum!” Alec moans quietly, feeling himself literally drooling at the thought of all the food.

“How are you not fat?” Brianna complains.

“Right?!” Charnze agrees, giving Alec a disgusted look. “He eats twice as much as I do, and I’m a footballer.”

“I also cook twice as much as you,” Alec shoots back.

At this point, Michael stepped in to continue explaining the other aspects of the date.

“After the class today, we will all gather to enjoy your dinner together, with a few beautiful bottles of wine from a local winery. One lucky cook, though, will be winning a private dinner with Magnus.”

As Michael announced this, everyone suddenly sat up straighter, and an air of competition invaded the room.

“The winning cook will enjoy a private dinner with Magnus, separate from the others, along with a special dessert prepared by Chef Santiago here, who incidentally, will also be choosing the winning cook.”

As all eyes turned back to Raphael, he somehow pulled up a tight smile onto his face, that, to Alec at least, clearly spoke to his desire to not do this.

“How will you be deciding Chef Santiago?” Camille asks with a sweet smile.

“Whoever impresses me the most,” he answers simply after a moment’s hesitation before turning away, his gaze randomly moving across some kitchen equipment on the bench beside him.

“Alec, I found your soul mate,” Charnze whispers to Alec, indicating Raphael with his head.

Trying to swallow down his laughter, Alec firmly kept his face down until he’d gathered control of himself, Brianna doing the same thing on Charnze’s other side, having overheard the comment.

Lan continued to let them know the plan, going through the recipes that the groups would be cooking later that afternoon before they were all invited to draw a number from a bucket to determine pairs.

Alec was quite happy to find himself paired up with Brianna, always enjoying the other woman’s good humour and easy-going attitude. The other pairs were Tom and Rebecca, Camille and Sam, and Josh and Charnze. 

Alec felt for Tom, who seemed a little unhappy with the pairing, but Alec was sure he’d be fine. Despite a slight hero-crush on Camille, Rebecca seemed to be quite a nice girl to Alec, if not a bit of a follower.

He was slightly puzzled to see that the other person discomfited somewhat by their pairing was Charnze. He and Josh had also seemed to get along exceptionally well, so Alec couldn’t figure out why Charnze suddenly seemed out-of-sorts about it. Josh seemed fine, Alec was pleased to notice, sharing a quick smile with Charnze before walking across to pick up aprons for the two of them.

Magnus had been amused to watch Alec as he listened to Lan outline their schedule for the day. He found himself slightly enamoured, and a little jealous of the complete attention the chef had on him. 

Turning his gaze away from Alec, he caught Raphael looking at him, and felt himself flush at the knowing smirk disappearing off his friends face before he turned to answer Camille’s question. 

Wondering himself how Raphael was planning to choose who he should share a dinner with at the end of the night, and if he could or should influence him at all, Magnus found himself distracted by a noise at the other end of the group. Looking over, he saw Alec, Charnze and Brianna giggling, and couldn’t help but wonder what the joke was.

An hour and a half later, Magnus was finally getting his chance to find out, as he moved to join Alec and Brianna where they were cooking the beef stew, Raphael beside them, giving directions.

“How are we going here?” Magnus asks with a smile.

“Well, I’m being very thankful that Alec is my partner, and that Chef Santiago here is giving us such detailed instructions,” Brianna says with a nervous laugh. “Why did you have to love such a complicated dish?”

“I am sorry, my dear,” Magnus tells her with a smile. “I promise you won’t regret it once you taste it. Besides, it seems like the two of you are making a good pair. You seem to be moving along nicely pounding the spices.” He was unable to resist looking over at Alec as he said the word pounding, and was rewarded by seeing that adorable blush appearing that he was so quickly becoming addicted to causing. 

As Alec tried to pull himself together, Magnus continued, completely unaware of the teasing spark in his eye that Raphael was observing. “You were giggling together earlier, tells me you get along well enough to work happily together so it should be a fun afternoon for you both. Though I’m assuming something sparked that giggle feast earlier,’ he prompts. 

To his surprise, this sets Brianna off giggling again. At the same time, Alec frantically looks up at Magnus, before his gaze flicks between Brianna and Raphael, another beautiful blush working it’s way up from his throat, just as the last one had started fading. Magnus is intrigued as Alec clears his throat, and turns and speaks to Raphael.

“So this dish simmers for a couple of hours at one point, right? Anyone know what we should be doing while that happens?”

“Well, you will still need to stir in every 20 - 25 minutes, but otherwise, do whatever you wish,” Raphael tells him. 

“You seem to be quite knowledgeable about this recipe, Alexander. Have you made it before?” Magnus asks.

“I haven’t, no. The, uh, recipe —“he says, indicating the paper in front of them, “it states that it simmers for 2 hours, so, I was just wondering,” Alec tells him, still seeming somewhat flustered as he responds to Magnus.

He can’t help but find a bashful Alec adorable, and it’s only when he hears Raphael heave a deep sigh that he realises he is merely standing on the spot and staring at the man.

“You do have a knack for cooking though,” Raphael says, turning back to Alec. “If the way you are handling your prep work is anything to go by.

“Oh, I like cooking. I’m a travel writer who loves to eat, so I generally try to talk some locals into teaching me a few dishes when I go somewhere. Then I come home and practise with it until it’s good enough to share.”

“Well, nice work, both of you,” Raphael says, giving Alec and Brianna one of his rare smiles. “I’m going to move on, but call out if you need me,”

“Thanks, Chef.”

“Thank you, Chef.”

“Thank you, Chef Santiago,” Magnus says, as Raphael walks away. He was happy to have his friend here and was eager to hear his thoughts on his dates, but it was important he not let on that the two of them were friends, as the last thing he wanted was anyone playing it up for Raphael

As Raphael moved away, Magnus moved around the table to the other side, incidentally also bringing himself closer to Alec.

“So where are we up to?” Magnus asks with a smile as he washes his hand at the nearby hand-washing sink.

“Are you going to help us?” Alec asks with a smile, something of his usual cocky flirtatious nature showing.

“That’s why I’m here. As Brianna was saying, you got my favourite dish. I’ve got to make sure you don’t screw it up.”

“Oh, I see!” Alec says with a chuckle, Brianna grinning widely beside him. “And you can cook, can you?”

“No. Not at all,” Magnus replied. “I have literally burnt water,” he says, all of them laughing.

“Then stay away from our dish!” Brianna tells Magnus, laughing, pulling her mortar and pestle closer to her.

“Oh, come on. I can do something. You’ve all been trying to impress me, for weeks now. It’s my turn,’ Magnus tells her.

“Oh, I think you’ve definitely impressed before now,” Alec tells him softly, a hint of teasing underlying his voice.

“Good to know,” Magnus replies with a smile. “Seriously, I would like to do something. What can I do?”

“Here,” Alec says with a wicked grin and an innocently cocked eyebrow. “You can pound this,” and hands Magnus his portal and pestle, with the galangal.

Brianna erupts into giggles beside Alec, briefly bumping up against him in shared amusement as she attacks the chilli’s in her own mortar. Fighting back his own smile, Magnus nod and begins to pound his herbs, relishing having someone give it back to him as he gives it out.

Meanwhile, Alec uses the back of a knife to begin crushing the ends of the lemongrass in front of him, before he turns to start the heat up under a small pan at his side.

As Magnus continues his work assigned to him, he chats quietly with Brianna, enjoying her bright and happy nature and wicked sense of humour, Alec occasionally chipping in, but mostly staying focused on his work.

He couldn’t deny that watching Alec become so immersed in this experience was something of an aphrodisiac. He’d have to remember to thank Semi for making him aware of Alec’s passion for cooking. He couldn’t help but wonder what he’d have to do to turn Alec’s passion to him instead.

For the next 20 minutes, they continue working harmoniously together, talking and laughing and generally enjoying each other’s company, talk between the three of them flowing seamlessly. Magnus can’t help but feel regretful when Simon comes over to indicate that he should be moving on to the next group. 

“Well, don’t ruin it now that I’m not here to supervise,” he tells the two of them cheekily, trying to delay the moment he has to walk away.

“We’ll try our best,” Brianna answers.

“But we’re not promising anything,” Alec comes back with, just as Magnus walks away.

Smiling to himself, Magnus makes his way over to where Camille is working with Sam.

“How are we going, ladies?”

“Wonderful, Magnus. We are cooking you up a feast,” Camille tells him with a bright smile.

“Hi Magnus,” Sam tells him softly. “We’ve just finished making your sweet soy peanut sauce. We’re preparing the vegetables now, so they’ll be ready to steam closer to the time.”

“I see. Well, point me to a chopping board,” Magnus says with a smile. “So, are either of you cooks? Or do your talents lie elsewhere as mine do?”

“Well, I must admit, I’ve never really had a chance to cook much before,” Camille tells him with a somewhat embarrassed smile. “I must admit, although I’m having fun with it today, I don’t think it’s going to become a passion of mine. Thank goodness, Sam is here. She seems to know what she’s doing.”

Magnus gives her a warm smile, appreciating her honesty.

“So I take it, you like cooking Sam?” Magnus leads, trying to encourage some more talk from the painfully shy woman. Although he’d thoroughly enjoyed meeting her that first night, he’d struggled slightly to get to know her among others who were louder or just naturally claimed more of his attention.

“I do like cooking, yes,” she tells him, smiling shyly up at him.

“Do you do much of it?” He prompts.

“Some. I’m not very inventive when it comes to cooking, so I definitely need a recipe to follow, but I do enjoy it so I try to do it when I can.”

The three of them continuing washing and chopping their vegetables, taking their time as they know they have plenty of it up their sleeves.

After some time has passed, Camille asks for a quick, quiet chat with Magnus. Looking briefly at Sam, he silently asks her if she minds.

“Go ahead,” she says softly.

Walking off to the side briefly, Camille following along behind him, Magnus can’t help but wonder what is going on. It was rare for someone to ask for a private moment in the middle of a date, and not terribly polite, something that bothered Magnus slightly.

When they arrived at a private spot, Magnus was about to ask what was happening, when Simon quickly asked for them to wait a quick second while the camera’s set up. While they wait, Camille and Magnus stand around uncomfortably for a few minutes, exchanging awkward smiles and odd fidgetings. For his part, Magnus was very aware of the looks they were getting from the other dates, including Alec. Not liking the image they were giving, Magnus turns to Simon impatiently.

“Are we ready yet?”

“Just a sec,” Simon tells him apologetically.

After another minute of uncomfortable silence, Magnus finally gets the go-ahead from Simon.

Turning to Camille, Magnus is eager to have said, whatever needs to be said and head back to the table with Sam.

“So, Camille. What can I do for you?”

He feels his annoyance fade away into concern as Camille lowers her eyes and nervously clears her throat. He’s about to ask her what’s wrong when she starts to speak.

“Do you remember when we met, I mentioned my brother followed you on social media?”

Magnus frowned as he tried to recall back to that night.

“I remember that, yes.”

“Well, I don’t know if I also mentioned that I followed you as well,” she tells him, looking at him pointedly.

Magnus though, is failing to see why she has pulled him aside to tell him she follows him on Twitter.

“Ok . . .”

“So, I have seen more than a few of your posts where you talk about, or post photo’s of your friend Raphael, New York’s hot new chef,” she explains.

“Oh!” Magnus says, finally seeing what made Camille pull him aside.

“Yeah,” Camille says softly. “I’m not going to tell the others, don’t worry about that. I just wanted to let you know that I know who Raphael is, as I’m guessing he’s here to give you an unbiased opinion on your dates.”

“Yes, he is,” Magnus admits with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t apologise,” Camille hastens to tell him. “I’d do the same thing in your position. I’m not upset or anything, I just wanted to let you know.”

“Well, I appreciate it,” Magnus tells her warmly. “It would have been very easy for you to keep quiet on this. Make a good impression with the inside information.”

“No, it would have come out someday, and if things go the way I hope between us, someday will be important,” Camille explains, with a loving look.

Magnus can’t help the warmth he feels when he hears Camille talks about her hope for their future. He felt so safe with her, and in large part, it was because of her willingness to put herself out there for him. He knew how difficult a thing that was to do, and he admired her greatly for it.

Smiling gently at her, he leans in and gives her a soft kiss to the cheek. Then holding her arm, he turns and leads her back to the table and Sam, where they resume their culinary duties.

Two hours later and Magnus had also spent some time with Josh and Charnze, as well as Tom and Rebecca, enjoying his time with both other couples. Raphael had also spent some time with the other’s and was now about to announce his choice for extra time with Magnus.

Magnus had debated interfering in his choice but in the end had decided to leave it entirely to Raphael, interested to see who he would choose and why, though he wouldn’t find out why till later. 

While Magnus and his dinner date would separate for dinner out on the terrace, screened for privacy from everyone else eating in the main room, Raphael would head back to Magnus’s bungalow. The plan was for him to stay the night in Magnus’s spare room and then the two of them could have a leisurely brunch together before Raphael heads back to the city.

For now, he eagerly waited to see who he would get some time alone with. Knowing Raphael, he could be very nice, or very not. Magnus felt a little bad for thinking that way, but he wanted time with Alec. 

He craved another single date with Alec but felt obligated to not devote every single date to him. That wouldn’t stop him from including him in all the group dates though. He was also more than aware that Raphael had picked up on Magnus’s crush, hence the nice or not nice thought.

“So Chef Santiago,” Michael plays up for the camera’s, “would you like to tell us what you were looking for when choosing somebody to enjoy a dinner with our dashing bachelor and who you have chosen to enjoy it?”

As Michael stepped back with a flourish, Magnus watched with amusement as Raphael released an internal sigh and stepped forward, a strained smile stretched across his face. 

“Quite simply, I was looking for somebody who was innovative and enthusiastic with their cooking and also happened to seem like a decent enough person. The dinner will be Magnus and Alec,” he finishes flatly, before turning around and walking to the back of the room, giving Magnus a small glare as he passed.

Magnus absentmindedly saw the glare but ignored it in favour of giving his friend a beaming smile, thrilled with his choice of sending him to dinner with Alec. For the sake of the others, he quickly smothered his smile down to something more appropriate, something that didn’t tell everyone that this had been his greatest wish when convincing Lily to allow Raphael up here.

However, as everyone else moves past him and makes their way to the dining room where they will all be eating, Magnus catches Alec eye as he also hangs behind, and feels his smile shine bright again. 

As Michael starts his pitch with the camera and then turns to lead them to their private dinner on the terrace, Magnus decides just to let himself enjoy the moment. In the spirit of that, he reaches out and takes Alec’s hand in his, smiling when Alec looks over in surprise and, smiling himself, squeezes Magnus’s hand.

Alec’s not sure what it was precisely that he did to win the dinner with Magnus, but he wanted to kiss Raphael when he heard his name leave the chef’s mouth. Quickly looking over to Magnus, and seeing the bright smile on his face, he can’t help but think he’d like to steal a kiss from Magnus first though.

He feels his heart speed up slightly when Magnus takes his hand as they walk outside, following Michael. He can’t help but give Magnus’s hand a little squeeze as they go, wanting to communicate his excitement somehow, and he can’t deny his thrill when Magnus squeezes his hand back.

Sitting down, Alec buries his head in one of his hands, both elbows on the table. He can’t hold back the strength of his smile, and he feels a little embarrassed at how happy he is in this moment. Fighting back his nerves, he looks up at Magnus and sees the same wide smile on his face. 

Suddenly, the two laugh and Alec drops his hand from his face and reaches it out across the table. Magnus’s laughter dies away, and smiling softly, he takes Alec’s hand too.

“So I guess we’re both pretty happy with this outcome?” Magnus asks gently.

“Very happy,” Alec agrees. “Although I have no idea what I did to impress Chef Santiago. I could have sworn he didn’t really like me.”

“I kind of think that might just be his personality,” Magus says gently, not wanting Alec to think that Raphael didn’t like him when Magnus knew for a fact that Raphael did. Magnus had witnessed him smile directly at Alec twice, and that was unheard of. However, he wasn’t ready to tell Alec who Raphael was yet.

For the next few minutes, they simply sit holding hands over the table, thumbs absentmindedly caressing each other’s, as they softly talked about the day, exchanging stories from the class that the other hadn’t witnessed.

As a pair of waiters come out and begin placing dishes from today’s cooking activities on the table, they gently pull their hands away, but their smiles stay soft as they look at each other over the table. The longer it goes, the more Alec’s nerves play up.

“How is it, I get more nervous the more time I spend with you?” Alec asks bewilderedly.

“I have no idea, but I like it,” Magnus tells him, amused.

“You don’t get nervous?” Alec asks.

Magnus is about to send off another quip when he looks up at Alec and sees the confused look on his face.

“I get terrified,” he confesses.

“You do?” Alec asks almost pleading, needing to know that he wasn’t the only one.

“Very much so. It’s scary how much I need you to like me.”

“Well, let me reassure you,” Alec begins, “I absolutely like you. A lot.”

Alec watches the happiness flow over Magnus’s face at the reassurance he has just given, and seeing his happiness, Alec feels his nerves wash away, and his own happiness expand.

As the waiters finish placing the dishes and the bottle of wine on the table, having served the first glass, Alec and Magnus find themselves alone once more, if you ignore Jonathon and the two cameramen and the sound man moving smoothly around them a few meters away.

“Alexander, if you don’t mind, there’s something I need to do before we start eating,” Magnus tells him, a hint of nerves still showing in the other man’s voice.

“What’s that?” Alec asks, bewildered as he watches Magnus get up from his chair and walk around to Alec’s. He is still somewhat confused as Magnus takes both his hands, but as he feels himself being pulled to his feet, he thinks he maybe knows what’s about to happen.

“I’d really like to kiss you,” Magnus tells him softly, his eyes flicking down to Alec’s lips before moving back to Alec’s eyes to gauge his reaction.

“Finally,” Alec sighs. 

Magnus lets out a small breath of laughter before the smile falls from his face, and he begins to lean in. 

Alec can’t stop himself from matching his movement, and as their lips finally meet, he is unable to control the small moan that escapes from him. The moan is echoed by Magnus, as he pulls him in tighter, their arms quickly wrapping around each other, as they quickly forget about the camera’s, and the people around them lurking in the shadows. All they can think about is finally being in each other’s arms and tasting each other’s lips. 

As the need for more air finally pulls them apart, Alec struggles to calm his racing heart, trying to tell himself that it wouldn’t be appropriate to jump straight back in for another kiss.

As he lifts his eyes to meet Magnus’s, he feels the pull intensify, when Magnus begins swaying back towards him. He allows himself to lean in again for one more taste before he pulls back.

“I think maybe we should start to eat before dinner gets cold,” he whispers, not wanting to break the mood, but feeling just a little overwhelmed.

“Yeah, we should,” Magnus answers, his eyes locked on Alec’s lips, and not moving from his spot.

“Go sit, Magnus,” Alec says, gently pushing the other man away. “Bri and I worked hard on that Beef Rendang, and I don’t want it to go to waste.”

“Right,” Magnus says, visibly giving his head a small shake, as he moves back to his chair.

Alec smiles quietly to himself as head down, he begins to dish food to his plate, Magnus doing the same on his side of the table. He can’t help but replay that magnificent kiss over again in his head, his lips still tingling at the memory of Magnus’s mouth on his. Never in his wildest fantasies could he have imagined getting this turned on and flustered over a kiss.

“Oh my God, Alexander! This Rendang is amazing!” Magnus moans eyes closed in ecstasy, at his enjoyment of the food.

A laugh escapes Alec as he takes in the pleasure on Magnus’s face. Smiling, he leans forward to take a bite of his own food.

“Oh, my God!” He moans.

“Right!” Magnus agrees.

Magnus can’t wipe the grin off his face as he steps into his bungalow a little over an hour later. 

He’d had the most sublime night with Alexander, starting with that spell-binding kiss they’d shared after the food had come out. He’d known that his first kiss with Alec would be special. That was one of the reason’s he’d held back from it, scared of what it would mean once he realised how special it was. What he could never have anticipated was it being the single best kiss of his life! And he’d kissed a lot of people!

The only kiss that could possibly beat it was the second one they shared at the end of the meal before separating for the night.

He was still reliving it all when he walked into the living room and saw Raphael sitting on the couch with a book. Wanting to share his joy with his friend, he laid himself down on the couch and placed his head in Raphael’s lap, plucking the book from his hands at the same time. 

He was about to toss the book to the floor when he noticed it was Alexander’s book and so he instead, cradled it to his chest.

“I take it you enjoyed your dinner,” Raphael said sarcastically.

“I did,’ Magnus sighed, not even trying to hold back the happiness from his face.

“Good, then give me my book back.”

“Don’t you want to hear all about it?” Magnus asks dreamily.

“I absolutely do not,” Raphael tells him dryly.

“He was perfect, Raphael. He’s so sweet and funny and kind and handsome and smart and talented and so fucking gorgeous!”

“Oh God, you’re in love already,” Raphael groaned, pushing Magnus off his lap.

Sitting up somewhat grumpily, or as grumpy as he can be in his current state of bliss, Magnus huffs in exasperation of Raphael’s statement.

“I’m not in love! I’m just in really heavy like. And lust,” Magnus explains.

“Uh-huh,” Raphael deadpans.

“I’m not!” Magnus insists. 

“I could be soon though if I’m not careful,” he tells him after a beat. “Tell me I’m not making a mistake Raph,” he pleads.

“I can’t do that,” Raphael tells him softly. “I can give you my opinion, though.”

“Ok,” Magnus replies hesitantly, somewhat scared of what his friend might say.

“I like him.” 

“You do?” 

“I do.”

“And is that all you’ve got to say?” Magnus asks him, annoyed.

“I like him a lot,” Raphael expands.

“Raphael!” Magnus growls.

“He’s a good guy. He’s smart, he’s accomplished, and he can hold his own against you, which is rare. I only saw the two of you interact for a small amount of time, but from what I saw, you have something special and if you run away from that because your scared, then you’re a fool.”

As Magnus looks up at Raphael with a sappy look, Raphael huffs and pulling the book from Magnus’s hand, stands up and begins moving to the spare bedroom.

“Thank you, Raphael!”

“Don’t mention it,” Raphael calls back. “And if he breaks your heart I’ll kill him.”

Smiling to himself, Magnus gets up and wanders off to his own room, knowing they’ll talk more in the morning.

Three days later, and Magnus is walking back into another cocktail party, eager to see Alec again, having missed him throughout the week. One of the hardest things about this whole experience, apart from the constant camera’s and microphones, and the whole being forced to date more people than socially-appropriate at one time, was the forced wait between his allowed contacts with Alec. And the others of course.

But using Alec as an example, he only ever got the chance to speak to the man twice a week. On one of the two possible dates that he invites Alec to, and the cocktail party, where he must spend time with everyone, which severely limits his time with others. If this was the real world, he’d at least get to talk to him, or them, on the phone—exchange texts or something at least. Instead, twice a week, they entertain supervised interactions like in the damn Victorian era. It’s exasperating!

As he walks into the party, he begins to look around for Alec, but before he can spot him, Lisa approaches him. Without a word she hands him some cocktail spring rolls, wrapped in a napkin, the two of them discovering at the very first cocktail party that they are both addicted to the cheap party food.

“Thank you,” Magnus says, graciously accepting the napkin.

“You’re welcome,” Lisa says with a smile. “So how did your dates go this week?”

“Wonderful, I had a wonderful time at the cooking class, and Kim and I had an amazing time horse riding,” he tells her. A couple of days previously he’d taken Kim out to a remote area upstate, where there was a large horse riding track. The two of them had enjoyed a leisurely stroll, before picnicking at a river and riding home.

“Good, good,” Lisa says, looking out over the room, as she puts a saucy smile on her face. “I heard you had a one-on-one dinner with Alec at the end of the cooking class. How’d that go?”

“What? Why do you ask? Did he say something? What did he say?” Magnus asks, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice, and failing miserably.

“He didn’t say anything,” she tells him, finally breaking down in laughter. “I heard about it through Brianna, who tells me that Alec was very happy to be chosen for the single dinner.”

“Oh, ok,” Magnus says, feeling slightly disappointed that he wasn’t going to hear any inside gossip on Alec’s feelings for him, and taking a bite of one of his spring rolls.

“Oh man, you have it bad,” she tells him, rolling her eyes. Before he has a chance to respond, she begins speaking again.

“Listen, before you begin going on and on, and on about the wonders of Alec, I wanted to ask if you were planning to send me home tonight.”

Looking over at her, he doesn’t see any urgency or upset in her face, just honest curiosity.

“I can do. I haven’t decided who I was sending home yet,” Magnus explains.

“Yeah, well, it might be an idea,” she tells him with a smile. “I have to get back to my real life at some point.”

“I’ll take care of it, Lisa,” Magnus promises.

“Thank you handsome,” she answers, giving him a kiss on the cheek before she walks away.

He only gets a brief second to look around again before he is approached once again, this time by Samantha.

“Hi Magnus,” she says shyly.

“Samantha! How are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m good, thank you,” she tells him sweetly. “I wanted to ask if I could talk to you for a quick moment outside?”

Swallowing down his surprise, Magnus quickly agrees and follows her outside. They step out to find that the camera’s by the now-standard alcove, have just finished setting up, and so they are good to go straight away.

After sitting down, Magnus sees that Sam seems to be looking for the words she wants, so he sits back quietly and gives her the time she needs. 

Eventually, Magnus sees her pull herself up straight and look directly at him.

“Magnus, this isn’t for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Not entirely certain what they were talking about.

“This whole show,” she explains. “It’s not for me. I thought I was being brave and stepping out of my comfort zone, but I think maybe I stepped too far.”

“Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry,” he tells her. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No, thank you. You’ve been wonderful Magnus, and as much as I would love to be the one who commands your attention, I am self-aware enough to know, that I am not going to be still standing at the end. And with that, I think I would like to go home now, rather than wait,” she tells him. “If that’s ok.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Magnus promises softly, placing his hand over hers, where it rests between them.

“Thank you,” she says, smiling. 

The two of them talk for another few minutes, before getting up and rejoining the party. 

Magnus is determined to find and spend time talking to Alec, but on the way to finding the dark-haired beauty, he stops by to ask Lisa if she is ok to stay for another week. After gaining reassurance that she was, Magnus thanks her and moves off to find his angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope that this chapter found everyone healthy and safe, wherever you are in the world, and that you all enjoyed the latest addition to this story.  
> As always, constructive criticism is welcomed, but please be nice. Comments and kudos fuel my passion to keep writing so drop one below if you haven’t already.
> 
> BTW, Alec’s story about Belize is actually mine, though obviously without the talks and lectures. But I have been to Belize a few times myself, and staying at that resort, spent my mornings out on the kayak watching the sunrise. In my experience though, I had my kids with me in addition to the fish and dolphins (and that one time, a turtle). Having not been able to travel for some time now and after the stress of the last year, I am really missing my favourite vacation spot.  
> I hope everyone out there is finding some time and ability to relax and self-care. Take care everybody!
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna  
> John  
> Lisa   
> Samantha (Sam)  
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet  
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some secrets come out, and on a group date, some motivations make themselves known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,   
> This one is a little later than I wanted but I’ve just returned back to work full time and training three new staff as well so I haven’t had a lot fo time to write 😢. However, I’ve now managed to pump out another 10 000 words for you all, that I hope you enjoy.  
> I’ve included a full list of the remaining dates in the end notes for those that want it.

Alec is sitting at his usual outdoor patio table and working on his book when Clary walks over and hands over some letters from his family and some notes from his editor.

“These are for you,” she tells him flatly, giving him a weak smile as she drops the correspondence on the table.

“Thanks,” he says distractedly. As he looks up, though, he grows a little concerned.

“You ok, Red?”

“I’m fine,” she replies, the same flat tone in her voice.

Giving her a gentle smile, Alec reaches out and takes her hand, preventing her from walking away.

“I might be gay, Clary, but even I know when a woman tells me she’s fine, she’s not fine. Take a seat.”

He sits patiently as Clary just looks at him for a moment, before softly pulling out a chair and sitting at his table. He grows slightly more alarmed when he sees the tears shining in her eyes.

“Clary, what’s wrong?” He asks her gently, hating to see one of his favourite people so upset. He knows that Clary went home again this weekend, and he can’t help but wonder if she was just sad to leave or if there was something else going on.

“Alec, are you ok?” She asks him softly, her voice cracking slightly on the last word.

Confused at the unexpected direction of the conversation, Alec struggles to answer.

“I’m — I’m fine. I’m not the one crying, Clary.”

Alec feels his composure break and quickly moves forward to wrap Clary in his arms as the tears finally spill over and a sob squeezes out of the small redhead.

“Clary, please tell me what’s wrong. You’re breaking my heart kiddo,” he tells her, his own voice choking up with his worry.

“Jace and I had a fight,” she explains brokenly, as he pulls back slightly to listen. “He thinks I never should have let you get roped into this and said that Lily and I are just using you to move ahead in our careers.”

“He what?” Alec gasped out. “Clary, you didn’t get me roped into anything. Lily, absolutely did, but you, no. You’ve done nothing but be wonderful and supportive this entire time. And I’ve more than forgiven Lily by now too.”

“Really?” Clary questions, still crying. “Because Jace kept saying that this is the last thing you would ever want and that you’d hate being on camera all the time. And I know you, Alec! You would hate that! And yet your still here, and now I’m worried that you’re going to walk out of this experience hating us.”

“Clary, I do hate the constant camera’s and living with all these people,” Alec admits, “But I’m also ok being here. In fact, I’m more than ok. Surprisingly, I’m making some good friends here and kind of enjoying myself. And I also really kind of like Magnus,” he finishes softly, admitting that last part reluctantly.

“Are you sure? Because the last thing I want to do is screw up our friendship, and I can get you out of this if you want me to,” she offers a hint of vulnerability and desperation in her voice.

“I think I’d like to stay. At least for now. But thank you, Red,” he says, pulling her back in for another hug, kissing the top of her head while he can.

She’s still buried into his chest when he speaks again.

“Do you want me to call Jace and yell at him?”

Her laugh is somewhat smothered into his chest and tickles him slightly, but he can’t deny he’s happy to hear it.

“Nah, it’s all good. He’s already called and left a dozen messages on my phone during the drive back, apologising. I figure I’ll let him sweat for the rest of the afternoon and then call him back tonight. Besides, he only did it because he’s worried about you. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t messed us up. You’re one of my favourite people,” she tells him softly, looking up at him with a smile.

“You’re one of my favourite people too,” he says, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And if Jace screws with you again, let me know. I’m always available to kick his arse on your behalf.”

“You don’t think I can take him?” She asks indignantly, a little of her usual fire surfacing.

“Oh, I know you can,” Alec assures her. “I just wouldn’t want you to lower yourself to that standard.”

“Thank you for that,” she says, burying her face back into his chest. “You’re the best big non-brother.”

“And you’re the best little non-sister.”

They stay like that for a few minutes until they’re interrupted by Lisa stepping out onto the patio. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight before her, before she begins backing away, hands raised. The

“I didn’t see a thing,” she tells them.

“Well, I’m going to have to explain that somehow,” Alec sighs as he watches Lisa head back inside.

“What are you going to tell her?”

“As close to the truth as I can get, I suppose.”

“Good luck with that,” she tells him, patting his arm. “I better get back to work.” Standing up, she presses a kiss to the top of his head.

“Love you!”

“Love you too!”

Alec takes a moment before sighing and packing up his notebook. He then made his way inside, searching out Lisa. Finding her in the kitchen, Alec leans on the counter, waiting for Lisa to pull her head out of the fridge.

He can’t help but chuckle, when after standing up with a can of Diet Coke in her hand, she jumps and lets out a squeal, obviously not having heard Alec enter the room.

“Geez, Alec!” She says, hand over her heart. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Sorry,” he chuckles. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just lost a couple of years, is all,” she says, walking around the bench to sit on one of the stools at the kitchen island, pulling out a second for Alec as she did so.

Taking the hint, Alec grabs a cold bottle of water for himself and sits beside her.

“So, you and that producer looked kind of cozy,” she says, looking straight ahead. “I could’ve sworn you were into Magnus.”

Hearing the slight accusation in her voice, Alec swallows a little nervously.

“That producer’s name is Clary,” he begins before Lisa interrupts.

“Good for her,” Lisa says sarcastically.

“And she dates my best friend,” he finishes. “Has for three years now.”

“Oh,” Lisa says, taking a beat before turning to look at him, a silent request for further information in her eyes.

“She and Jace had a big fight last night, and I was trying to talk her through it. They’re good now, but she just needed to vent.”

“Sorry for jumping to conclusions,” Lisa says apologetically.

“It’s alright. I would have jumped to those same conclusions,” he says, bumping her shoulder gently to let her know it was all forgotten.

“Is it ok that you’re friends with a producer? That seems like an odd coincidence,” she says, a slight frown on her face.

Alec hesitates for a second, before deciding to trust the woman.

“Ok, confession time? I was never supposed to be here.”

“What? What do you mean?” Lisa asks, confused.

“There was supposed to be another guy here, but apparently there was some last-minute legal trouble that meant he had to drop out. I was visiting a friend when they found out, and not having time to find someone else to do all the background checks, they asked me to step in. I’ve already done police and health background checks for work, and already knowing me, the producers were able to wave my personal recommendations,” Alec explains, nervously waiting to see what Lisa’s reaction would be.

“Damn! Talk about fate!” She explains happily.

“What?”

“Alec, come on! Every time you and Magnus are in the same room, you just gravitate towards each other, and now you tell me you weren’t even supposed to be here! All this was meant to be,” she tells him excitedly.

“Meant to be?” Alec asked, bewildered.

“Alec, you and Magnus have something special,” Lisa tells him gently. “I know you haven’t fully accepted that yet, but you’ve got time. You weren’t supposed to be here, but something happened, and you got dragged into this, I’m guessing kicking and screaming, knowing what a grumpy sod you are—“

“What the hell!” Alec softly interrupts as she keeps going.

“But, you got pulled into this for a reason, Alec. I really believe that” She finishes, giving him a smile.

For a moment, they sit quietly and look at each other, Alec with a slight frown on his face, and Lisa with a soft and sappy smile.

“And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone any of what you’ve just told me,” she promises.

“Thank you,” Alec says with a distracted smile, choosing not to comment on the rest of her words.

Lisa laughs and, patting his arm, stands up.

“You really are hopeless, gorgeous,” she tells him with a laugh. “I’ll keep you in my prayers,” she tells him as she walks away.

A couple of hours later, Alec is walking into the living area for the envelope taping. Seeing Lisa sitting on the couch, he smiles when, having spotted him, she raises her hand to greet him and pats the empty spot beside her, obviously having saved the space for him.

“Thanks,” he says, plopping himself down between Lisa and Charnze.

“No problem, gorgeous,” she tells him with a smile.

“Hey, Alec,”

“Hey, Charnze. Where have you been all morning?” Alec asks.

“I needed some time out, so I spent the morning down at the fitness centre,” he explains. “I think I pissed Camille, Silvana and Rebecca off because I locked them out, but Jonathon said I could so screw ’em,” Charnze tells Alec.

“Absolutely, screw ’em,” he agrees. “You doing ok?” He asks, “You don’t seem to have your usual effervescent energy.”

“Effervescent energy?” Charnze asks with a slight chuckle.

“You’re not reminding me of an overgrown puppy,” Alec explains straight-faced.

“Nice!” Charnze exclaims with a burst of laughter, punching Alec on the shoulder lightly.

“Seriously,” Alec continues, “usually you are jumping around, full of energy, going a mile of minute, pulling at our clothes, jumping up and down whenever you get excited.”

“But I don’t pee in your shoes when you leave me alone,” Charnze tells him, with his own, slightly less successful straight-face.

“That’s true. You’re even better than a puppy,” Alec says with a sarcastically encouraging smile.

“You two are both freaks,” Lisa tells them dryly, making them both laugh.

“I’m fine, thanks, Alec. Just needed some time out from the constant noise,” Charnze tells him, referring back to Alec’s original question.

“God, do I understand that!” Alec tells him emphatically.

“Yeah, I figured you would,” Charnze says appreciatively.

At that moment, Lily walked in. Looking behind her to spot Michael coming in, Alec is instead surprised when Lily walks over to him.

“Alec, can we talk to you outside for a second, before we start the envelope ceremony?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Alec answers, wondering what exactly was going on. Since he had started this whole thing, Lily had been careful not to draw too much attention to their friendship, not wanting to make Alec a target for others in the house.

“Save my spot,” he says to Lisa and Charnze, as he gets up to follow Lily outside, shooting Charnze an amused look when the man whistles an ominous tune as Alec walks out.

Walking outside, Alec sees Michael and Clary also waiting for him, and he can’t help but wonder what’s going on as they lead him around the corner and out of the sightlines of everyone else.

“Are you all sending me home?” He asks nervously.

“Why would we be sending you home?” Michael asks him incredulously. “You’re a fan favourite.”

“What? I am?” Alec asks disbelievingly. Before he gets a chance to ponder this too much, Lily begins to speak.

“We’re not sending you home Alec. We just wanted to talk to you for a second. Basically, your conversations with Clary and Lisa this morning were caught on camera, and it caught the higher-ups’ attention. They want to put out your real story to the public, and I said I’d have to speak to you about it first,” she explains.

“My real story?” Alec asks, not quite comprehending.

“They want to release that you were never supposed to be on the show,” Clary explains. “That whole bit with Lisa saying ‘it was meant to be,’ they want to play it up. They think it would be a great promo.”

“Play it up into what?” Alec asks, with slight disapproval in his tone.

“Well like Michael said,” Lily begins, swallowing nervously, “you are a fan favourite, both as an individual and as someone to possibly end up with Magnus. The big honcho’s upstairs, wanting to capitalise on your popularity, want to ‘reveal’ your story of how you came onto the show so they can play up the ‘meant-to-be fated lovers’ of it all.”

“Fated lovers?” Alec asks, horrified.

“It’s just how they want to play it up for the show, Alec. It doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to,” Clary hurries to reassure him.

“I am not fated ANYTHING!” Alec declares forcefully.

“Of course, you’re not,” Lily reassures him. “It’s t.v. Alec, you know how it works.”

“Lily, I thought the idea was to not reveal any of this till the end of the show,” Alec asks brokenly, fighting between the urge to glare at everyone or just run away. Instead, he just looks between the three with a dejected look.

“It was the plan, but then you talked to Lisa, and it turns out she’s a romantic, and the idea caught,” Lily told him with a sheepish and regretful smile.

“Lily —“Alec begins.

“I know, Alec. This favour just keeps getting bigger. But you yourself said this morning that you were actually enjoying yourself. That you liked Magnus and were making friends,” she told him hopefully.

“How do you know what I said to Clary?” He asked, momentarily confused amongst all the news information being thrown at him.

“You were on camera, Alec,” she explains gently.

Giving her one of his patented looks of pure exasperation, Alec released a loud and annoyed huff.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” He asked.

“We don’t need you to do anything,” Lily tells him, while Clary nods enthusiastically beside her and Michael looks on. “Basically, we’ll use your talk with Lisa this morning to put an edit together, and then we’ll continue to simply play up that aspect when editing future episodes.”

“So I do I talk about it or still avoid it? What?” Alec asks, simply wanting to get past this conversation and get to the envelopes so he could find out if he was spending time with Magnus this week, the only bright spot he could currently see.

“Well, maybe don’t talk about it with the other contestants. Otherwise, you might become a bit of a target for them. But feel free to talk about it with Magnus,” Clary explains, this time Lily nodding in agreement.

“Fine,” Alec huffs. “Is that it?”

“That’s it,” Lily tells him relieved.

Realising that Lily had been nervous about asking him if this was all ok, Alec reached forward to draw her into a hug.

“It’s a real pain in the arse being your friend, you know that? But I love you anyway.”

“I love you too, Alec,” she tells him with a smile.

“Ah! Excuse me! What about me?” Clary asks indignantly.

“Come here, Red,” Alec says, drawing her into the hug with one arm, while the other stays wrapped around Lily.

“Me too!’ Michael exclaims, his arms circling the three friends.

Alec holds it for a few seconds before he starts to become uncomfortable.

“Michael, no offence, but I really don’t know you all that well.”

As Clary and Lily start laughing, Alec pulls back out of the hug.

“I’ll see you guys inside. And hurry up with the envelopes! We’re all waiting,” he says, walking backwards while he talks before turning and making his way back inside.

Two days later, Alec finds himself bundled into a car with Tom, Brianna and Kim. Jenni, Janet, Harley and Felicity were in the car directly behind them.

The group had been chosen for a group date with yet another lame date pun. This time ‘Lets hit the high notes together, and make some melodies.’

Alec’s curiosity about the horrible puns was finally answered when he’d joked about them to Clary after the reveal of Jarrod’s single date and his own group date.

“Who in the world is coming up with these horrific puns?” Alec had joked to his friend. He’d watched in disbelief as Clary’s face had coloured and a much too innocent look appeared.

“No! Clary! Please tell me that you are not responsible for them! I expect better of you!” He joked.

“It’s this ridiculous thing that Lily has us do!” She confesses.

“Us?”

“Simon and me. After he gets the dates from Magnus, he and Jonathon spend the day, setting them up and then the two of us share a bottle of wine while we come up with the puns for the cards so they can be delivered to all of you!” She tells him, embarrassed.

“Clary, Clary, Clary,” he says, shaking his head with a chuckle. “I’ll never look at you the same.”

“Shut up! And what about Simon! He does them too!”

“Him, I’d expect it from,” he tells her with a smile. “The man is a ridiculously strange and weird-as-hell nerd.”

“You like him, and you know it,” she says, laughing.

“Maybe,” he admits. “But don’t tell him that. I like giving him a hard time.”

“It’ll be our little secret,” she promised.

Now, as he was being driven to his new group date venue, he guessed they were doing something that involved singing. Alec was cautiously optimistic about this date.

While he was never going to make a career singing, his voice was decent enough that he could sing out loud without making a fool of himself. He didn’t always hold every tune, and he missed more notes than he would care to admit, but he happened to really like singing, and that enjoyment always carried over.

It was something that he, Jace and Izzy had done for years, heading out to karaoke bars and belting out tunes (often with some liquid courage). It was quite common for friends like Clary, Lily and Simon to join them as time had gone. He couldn’t help but wonder if Simon had helped influence this date also, knowing Alec would be on it.

Magnus found himself buzzing with excitement as he sat himself down in the lounge area of the local bar and club where he and his dates were currently gathered.

Michael was in front of them, explaining how this karaoke date would go. The plan was that everyone would be randomly assigned songs to sing, sometimes singing in partners or groups, and other times singing alone. This was going to be a true test for some of them, though he doubted they would suspect it.

Magnus loved to have fun, and for him, part of that was being able to do so while making a fool of yourself. Throwing yourself into new or scary experiences and just enjoying the moment.

He couldn’t help but wonder what Alexander would make of the outing. He claimed to love new experiences, and his job certainly supported that claim, but public singing was something that unnerved a lot of people, including possibly Alec.

He hadn’t been too worried about it at first, confident in Alec’s new experiences claim that he would give it a go. But when he suggested karaoke to Simon and mentioned that he wanted Alec on the group date, the other man had let out a huge cackle of laughter and commented that he can’t wait to be there to see Magnus’s expression.

No matter how much Magnus pressed, Simon had refused to elaborate any further. Magnus had spent the last few days being wildly excited and terrified he was making a huge mistake asking Alec on this date. Currently, he was excited. Excited to see what Simon had been talking about, excited to see Alec again, eager to have some fun with a group of people he genuinely enjoyed spending time with.

At Michael’s welcome, Magnus was pulled on stage to sing his first song. He looked out over the group and internally started prepping himself.

“Ok Magnus! You’re song is . . . Get this party started by Pink!”

As all his dates started cheering, Magnus let out a huge smile. He loved Pink and knew this song perfectly. In fact, it was one of his go-to prep songs when he was getting ready for a night out.

Alec sat amongst the other dates, Kim to one side and Magnus’s empty chair on the other, having a great time. They had been placed at a series of joined tables that created a kind of squared horseshoe shape. An extensive buffet table was set up at the back wall, as well as a bar where the participants could engage in one alcoholic drink an hour and as many non-alcoholic drinks as they wished.

The idea was for Magnus and the dates to circulate and switch seats so everyone could spend time with Magnus. Alec couldn’t deny that he’d felt a small thrill when, after sitting down with Kim, Magnus had quickly claimed the seat on the other side of him. That sense of thrill had been only slightly stronger than the disappointment he felt when Magnus was immediately called up to the stage.

Alec watched as Magnus belted out the Pink classic. Like everything else he seemed to try, Magnus was an incredible singer, and his natural dancing ability made it sits emergence again. He swung his hips in time with the beat of the song, and his feet moved with a skill Alec could only envy.

Alec was mesmerised watching the gorgeous man up on the stage. He was vaguely aware of others seated at that table around him where they’d all been set up, but he paid them scant attention, focused entirely on the man singing.

For the past few days, he’d been unable to get his conversation with Lisa out of his head. The invasive noise had only been amplified by his later conversation with Lily and Clary.

The idea that his relationship with Magnus was being played out for the entertainment of a bunch of strangers was an intensely uncomfortable one for him. He’d been able to forget what the constant camera’s and such were for these last few weeks, but now that he’d been reminded, it was all he could think about.

Apparently, he was a favourite, though what he could have possibly done to earn that title he had no idea. Despite making some friendships on the show, he had, for the most part, stuck to his tendencies of isolation, spending most of his time at the house quietly working on his book or working out at the gym, ensuring he stayed active. So why was he a favourite?

Then there was the idea that his involvement on this show was somehow fated. Alec wasn’t sure he believed in fate and destiny. It was a nice thought that some things were meant to be and that no matter what mistakes you made along the way, you would still find your happy ending. But then he knew plenty of people who had never gotten their happy ending, so where was their fate? And what about those who didn’t deserve it? Cause he’d met plenty of those too.

He also wasn’t sure how comfortable he felt with the idea that his life was mapped out for him. That his free-will wasn’t genuine and that he was guided along by some invisible force. And why would that force bother? No, it was much easier for him to believe that there was chance and coincidence, and everything was up to him and his choices.

Watching Magnus finish out the song with a flourish and make his way back to the table and his seat beside Alec, he couldn’t deny that he felt an undeniable pull to the currently hot, sweaty, and happy man. One that felt entirely out of his control.

Magnus was having the time of his life. He’d managed to spend a fair amount of time with Alec on this group date. Their interactions hadn’t been serious or intense, but just fun, teasing and light-hearted. They’d also involved the interactions of the others on the date, but where that would usually cause discomfort for Magnus, tonight it simply felt like a large group of friends out for a good time.

A large group that happened to include someone he had a massive crush on. He’d purposely chosen the people for this date who’s company he thoroughly enjoyed, but who, more and more as time went on, he was sure he had no romantic future with.

All except for Alec.

Despite being so early in the process, Magnus had been quick to figure out how far he was interested in going with many of his dates, and amongst the crowd tonight, Alec was the only one with long term potential.

Tom was a little too shy and quiet for Magnus. As lovely as the man was, he would never fit into Magnus’s loud and colourful life, nor would Magnus fit into his.

Despite being a great guy, Harley was simply someone Magnus felt little connection with. They were too different in their interests to ever go further than this show.

Felicity was beautiful, and someone who seemed to share a lot of interests with Magnus, but something about her held Magnus wary. He couldn’t identify what it was that had flagged his attention, but he trusted his instincts enough to listen to them.

The other four ladies, Brianna, Kim, Jenni and Janet, were some of his favourite people on the show. All fun, intelligent and outspoken, just how he liked his women. All women Magnus would love to spend more time with in the future. As friends. While he felt an attraction to some of them, Brianna especially, there was no real drive to take it further than the enjoyment of some light flirtations.

In contrast, it was taking every ounce of will power Magnus possessed not to crawl into Alec’s lap and burrow away. He imagined lifting his head for the occasional quiet (and not-so-quiet) kiss, sneaking his hands under the oversized sweater to rest on Alexander’s exquisite abs.

He’d been amused when Alec arrived tonight, dressed in a pair of loose fit denim jeans and an oversized sweater that looked like it had once been black but was now faded to a sort of mottled grey. Up till now, Alec had shown excellent fashion sense, arriving for dates in high quality and well-fitting clothes. In contrast, tonight he seemed like someone who hadn’t entered a clothing store in years, simply wearing the same clothes until they fell apart in his hands.

For some reason, he preferred this look to the top-dressed one on Alec. Don’t get him wrong, he loved clothes, and he loved seeing Alec dressed to kill as he has been. But for some reason, he felt like he was finally seeing Alec. Looking at him now, where he sat next to Magnus, but on a corner, he couldn’t help but enquire about the change of wardrobe.

“I like this sweater,” he says softly, curling his fingers into the too-long sleeve in front of him. “It looks so soft and warm. I just want to crawl into it along-side you.”

Magnus watches with amusement as this flirtatious comment draws that adorable blush he loves over Alec’s cheeks, and his Adam’s apple bobs quickly in his throat.

“I’m not sure that wouldn’t lead to something we don’t want broadcast on t.v.,” Alec answers just as softly, the two of them wanting to make sure that any others around them can’t overhear their conversation.

A playful smirk on his face, Magnus is a little more direct in his request for information.

“Where did you get this? It doesn’t seem to fit with everything else I’ve seen you wear.”

“Truth time?” Alec answers, looking a little nervous, but also a little cheeky.

“Uh oh,” Magnus replies a little nervously himself, almost feeling like he was being tested with the intent look on Alec’s look. “Should I be nervous?”

“Maybe,” Alec answered, setting Magnus’s heart running with nerves. “Maybe you won’t like me as much after I tell you.”

“I can swear to you Alexander, unless you stole your clothes from a homeless person, leaving him naked on the street, there is nothing you can tell me about a simple sweater that would make me think less of you,” Magnus promises.

“These are my clothes. Not the others,” Alec confesses with a soft smile.

Confused, Magnus frowns before he asks for further information.

“What were your other clothes then?”

“Clothes my sister picked out for me.”

As Magnus raises his eyebrows in confusion, Alec elaborates, looking around to make sure none of the other dates are currently listening.

“You know, I hadn’t expected to be staying for the show. I came up for lunch with a friend and have stayed for weeks. The first night you gave me a rose, Clary called my sister and had her pack me a couple of suitcases of outfits,” he explains. “What I’m wearing tonight are the only clothes I have with me that I choose. The clothes I usually wear when not on camera.”

As Alec sits back nervously to hear Magnus’s thoughts on his revelation, Magnus scoots his chair a little closer and let go of Alec’s sleeve, grabs hold of the sweater where it sits on his waist instead.

“I already told you I like it, Alexander. Dressed like you are, you make me feel like home. I can’t help but feel a little closer to you, with you letting me see you like this. It’s like your no longer hiding from me as much.”

“I’m trying, Magnus,” Alec promises, taking Magnus’s hands from where they hold the sweater at his waist, and instead, taking both of Magnus’s hands in his.

“That’s all I ask,” he tells him in response.

The two of them share a soft look for a moment before they’re interrupted by Michael calling out Alec’s name to take the stage. Harley and Jenni have just come off after singing the Sonny and Cher classic ‘I got you, Babe’ and their applause now switched to Alec.

“Go get ’em, Angel,” Magnus murmurs seductively, feeling himself purr in satisfaction as he watches Alec try to pull himself together so he can get up and sing.

Magnus watches, entranced as Alec, having gotten himself together, steps up on stage with a wide smile on his face. His smile reassures Magnus that he hasn’t pressured Alec into a situation he finds uncomfortable, despite Simon’s vaguely worrying comments.

However, as Alec is given his song from the random generator (Bon Jovi’s - Living on a prayer), Simon quickly leans over and whispers in Magnus’s ear, worrying him yet again.

“Prepare yourself.”

Magnus doesn’t have to wait long to find out what Simon means. As Alec begins singing, Magnus finds himself spellbound. He briefly tears his eyes off of Alec to turn around and look at Simon, mirroring the other man’s broad grin of amusement, before bringing his eyes back to Alec once more.

Alec is singing with full enthusiasm, throwing himself into the song with everything he has. Magnus would love to say that his talent meets his energy, but he would be lying. Alec doesn’t have a bad voice, but he misses more notes than he hits, and he doesn’t always pay attention to the timing of the lyrics, so it doesn’t always match up with the music.

But Magnus couldn’t have cared less. Alec was giving it his all, and having a blast doing it, and Magnus just felt himself fall harder and harder for the man the longer he watched. And judging by the reactions of the others, he wasn’t the only one.

Kim, Brianna and Jenni were cheering wildly, cat-calling Alec and grinning up at him. For his part, Alec was giving it straight back to them, winking down at them and reaching out with a single hand, much like a rockstar reaches out to his adoring fans at a concert.

Alec finishes his song with a flourish, but before he can get back down, the random generator calls him up again, this time to sing the Grease classic ‘Summer Nights’ with Brianna.

As Brianna climbs up to join Alec on stage, she leans over with a wicked smile on her face to whisper in Alec’s ear. Magnus watches with complete adoration as Alec throws his head back in laughter at whatever Brianna said, before nodding enthusiastically.

He can’t help but wonder what was so funny as they step up to the microphones, wanting to know everything that brings such happiness and laughter to Alec’s face. He isn’t left wondering for long, though as they began singing. They had swapped lyrics. Alec was singing Sandy’s lyrics, and Brianna was singing Danny’s.

Magnus joined the others in getting up from the table and dancing in front of the stage. Together, they sang along to the chorus, and let themselves get lost in the pure enjoyment of the moment. He could imagine this in their future. Going out to meet up with a bunch of friends for a night of karaoke and laughter, before heading back home together and reminiscing on their night as they curl up in bed together.

Magnus knew it was dangerous to let himself think of things like this. He knew he could be setting himself up for the biggest heartbreak of his life, but he couldn’t help himself. Because his biggest heartbreak could also be his biggest joy.

For tonight though, he decided to let all his worries and dreams for the future sit undisturbed in the back of his mind, and simply enjoy his night.

Alec sat happily listening to Brianna belt out ‘Shallow’ by Lady Gaga, sharing amazed looks with Jenni and Tom who were currently sitting on either side of him. Brianna had told them she was a singer, and though they had heard her randomly sing around the house these last few weeks, this was the first song she’d had solo tonight, and she was spell-binding! As she finishes up, Alec joins everyone else in giving the woman a standing ovation as she takes a bow and steps down.

As Jenni is called up next to sing with Felicity, Brianna claims her seat next to Alec.

“You were amazing!” He tells her enthusiastically, Tom leaning around Alec to add his agreement of Alec’s statement.

“Thank you!” She accepts happily before letting out a satisfied smile. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed getting up on stage and singing in front of an audience.”

“How long’s it been?”

“Two years,” she replies sadly.

“What happened?” He asked.

“Oh, same old story,” she tells him. “I spent eight years working crap jobs and singing anywhere that would hire me, trying to make it as a singer. In the end, I had to decide to get an actual job that could support me and let me save for some sort of future, so I quit.”

With a helpless shrug, she continues sadly.

“I still sing every day, just not anywhere there’s an audience to hear me.”

“Well, I think you are outstanding,” Magnus tells her, having come over to hear the last of Brianna’s story. “I have a few contacts in the music industry. I’m not promising anything, but you’re much too talented to walk away.”

Smiling softly at Magnus’s words, Brianna bites her lips before replying.

“Can I think about it a little? I’m not sure I’m ready to put my dreams back out there to be crushed again,” she tells him hesitantly.

“I understand that,” Magnus tells her. “Just remember, you might not always achieve your dreams, but if you don’t try, it’s guaranteed you won’t.” Giving her a gentle smile, the small group turn to refocus on the stage.

Jenni and Felicity are currently singing the old 90’s song ‘the boy is mine’ by Monica and Brandi, and playing up the competition in the song for all it’s worth, singing directly to Magnus when they weren’t giving each other the evil eye. For his part, Alec was unsure how much of the competition between the two was real and how much was just in the theme of the song, but he let the thought go as Tom leaned over to whisper to him.

“What’s with all the old songs?” Tom murmured in Alec’s ear.

Swallowing back a laugh, Alec leaned close to answer, trying to be heard above the two women’s increasingly louder singing on stage.

“I have no idea, but I, for one, am thankful,” Alec tells him. “It means I actually know the songs. I’m not what you would call current on today’s music scene.”

“I know what you mean,” Tom tells him with a sympathetic smile. “I was talking to Semi the other day, and he was telling me all about his favourite music, and I didn’t know anyone he was talking about! I mean, who the hell is BTS?”

Alec laughed, shaking his head in response, having no idea who or what a BTS was himself.

“It’s good to see Alec laugh,” Felicity says, when having finished her song, she sat down beside Magnus and followed his eye-line to where he had been intently watching Alec and Tom lean close together to talk and laugh. He had been previously talking to Harley and Janet but had drifted out of the conversation when he got distracted by Alec’s laughter sounding from down the table.

His focus was so completely on the two men that it took a second for Felicity’s words to penetrate.

“Has he not been laughing?” Magnus asks, concern rising within him. “I thought things were good at the house? That’s what I’ve been told, anyway.”

“Oh, for the most part, they are,” Felicity says, settling in close now that she had Magnus’s complete attention. “Most of us get along fabulously, and some of us have become extremely close friends, like Alec and I, for instance.”

“Really?” Magnus questions, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. “You and Alec?”

“Oh my God, yes! He is one of my favourite people there. And I think he’s got a bit of a crush on me since I’ve been keeping one of the girls off his back.”

Turning to fully face Felicity, Magnus gives her 100% of his focus, completely ignoring Brianna and Kim who are currently up singing.

“Are you telling me that someone is hassling Alec at the house?” He demands, before suddenly realising how his words might come across, and quickly tries to amend them. “I mean, no one should be giving anyone a hard time. I’ve been asked to be kept apprised of anything like this. I have no time or tolerance for bullies.”

“Well, she keeps it on the down-low,” Felicity answers with a concerned look. “I don’t know if anyone else has even noticed, but I tend to see things that others don’t. I’m very empathetic that way.”

Magnus watches as she gives him a shy smile before turning her head away back to the stage.

“Who is it? Who’s making trouble?” He asks, quickly looking around at the women here with them tonight, wondering if any of them were responsible for treating Alec badly. He couldn’t imagine it was, as Alec had seemed to talk happily with all of them throughout the night. He felt anger burn through him at the thought of someone making Alec’s experience here a bad one and just a touch of panic at the thought that it might send the already skittish man running.

“Oh, I don’t want to cause trouble,” Felicity says, giving him a gentle pat on the knee and a soft smile. “Please don’t worry, though. The other person has backed off a lot since I started hanging out with him,” Felicity reassures him.

“Well, thank you, Felicity,” he tells her sincerely. “I appreciate you being a friend to those that need it.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Felicity tells him with a smile. “You know, it occurs to me that we haven’t sung together yet. Perhaps we could turn off the random generator and starting choosing our own songs and partners?” She suggests.

Thinking this would guarantee him a chance to sing with Alec, Magnus readily agreed, waving Simon and Jonathon over to make the request.

As Felicity pulls him up to the stage, Magnus feels his eyes drawn back to where Alec and Tom are still murmuring together. He happily lets Felicity choose their song, while his mind drifts, trying to think back to any conversations he’s had that might indicate who might be targeting Alec.

He was surprised that Alec had needed someone to defend him as Alec was more than capable of taking care of himself and had been doing so for years. He could only assume that Alec’s resistance had been not wanting to draw attention for the camera’s.

“Ready Magnus?” Felicity asks happily.

“Absolutely,” Magnus readily agrees, turning to his new singing partner with a bright smile. Looking down at the monitor as she hands him his microphone, Magnus sees ‘American Boy’ by Estelle and Kanye West, a song he knows well.

He throws himself into the song with enthusiasm, enjoying the reciprocal performance he is getting from Felicity. He is only slightly distracted by Alec and Tom’s continued conversation, although he is glad to see that Brianna and Kim have joined it now.

Finishing the song with a flourish, Felicity drapes herself over Magnus as she finishes, drawing everyone’s applause, and leaving Magnus to tactfully withdraw himself and make his way back to where Alexander was sitting.

“You know Tom, I don’t think I’ve seen you sing yet,” he tells the shy man, telling himself he just wants him to have fun, and that he’s not wanting the seat, he has occupied next to Alec for the last 30 minutes.

“Oh, I’m not much for drawing attention to myself,” Tom answers shyly, looking around at everyone, and flicking his eyes up to Alec when he speaks up next.

“You should give it a go, Tom! Karaoke is a blast!” He tells him enthusiastically.

“Yes, we’ve all seen how much you enjoy it,” Kim says with a wide grin, Brianna and Magnus chuckling in amusement.

Looking around indignantly, Alec responds quickly to their laughter.

“Ok, I may not be the best singer, but I don’t let that stop me from having a good time!”

“No, you don’t,” Magnus agrees with an affectionate smile, still leaning on the table in front of Alec.

“Come on, you’ve got to give it a go, Tom,” Alec tells the other man. Magnus feels the smile on his face fade, though when he see’s Alec grab Tom’s hand and give it a gentle pull.

“Come on,” Alec says to Tom, “I’ll go up and sing with you, ok? Will pick some classic, two old codgers like us know. You game?”

Magnus feels a pit in his stomach as his gaze stays stuck on their joined hands, and it only grows when he hears Tom happily agree.

He knows Alec is only being kind to the shy man, and that it means nothing more. He has grown to know Alec well enough now to tell the difference between Alec flirting and acting as a friend, and there is definitely no signs of flirting in his behaviour. Still, he can’t deny that he doesn’t like it, especially while still being so unsure of Alec’s commitment to him. He also can’t help but think that Tom maybe likes Alec a little bit too much, and while he understood that like, Magnus wasn’t comfortable with it coming from anyone but him.

He watches with Kim and Brianna, as well as Jenni who has joined them, as Alec allows Tom to pick out a song that he knows. He feels a little of his good humour return when Alec shoots him a wink from the stage before his attention is called back by Tom who has now chosen.

As Alec and Tom start singing the Elton John and Kiki Dee hit ‘Don’t go breaking my heart’ he feels his suspicions strengthen as Tom never takes his eyes off of Alec. In contrast, Alec displays his usual enthusiastic response to karaoke, sharing a connection with his singing partner but also with his audience. Once again, Magnus and co are all lined up in front of the stage, dancing and singing along, drawn in by Alec’s enthusiasm, energy and beauty, though possibly that last one was only for Magnus.

As they dance, Brianna leans over to Magnus, whisper/shouting in his ear, to be heard above the music.

“Can you believe those two doofus’s up there have never heard of BTS?”

“What! You’re kidding!” Magnus asked scandalised, tearing his eyes briefly away from the duo on stage to look at Brianna, shocked.

“They are both old men stuck in gorgeous young men bodies,” she shares with a laugh.

“Well, we can’t live with that!” Magnus exclaims before stepping to the back of the group and waving Simon over. After making his request, he begins calling everyone onto the stage, holding up a hand each to Tom and Alec’s chests to prevent them from leaving.

“Boys, I have heard some alarming news, and I’m afraid now, it’s time for you to both learn some music from this decade,” he announces with a smile.

“And what music would that be?” Alec asks with a grin, subtly stepping a little closer to Magnus, bringing them even closer.

“BTS is a sensation of great music, silky smooth dances moves and altogether cute boys, and I refuse to let either of you leave the stage before you experience their genius.”

With that Magnus waves, a signal to Simon and the opening beat of ‘Dynamite’ begins.

As Magnus steps up to the microphone while others are quickly handed their own, he begins to sing.

“Cause I, I, I’m in the stars tonight, so watch me bring the fire and set the night alight.”

Brianna steps forward with a huge grin, and tapping Magnus on the shoulder takes the next line.

“Shoes on, get up in the morn’, cup of milk, let’s rock and roll. King Kong, kick the drum, rolling on like a rolling stone.”

Alec watches with delight as Brianna and Magnus trade the first few lyrics back and forth, before others start joining in. Laughing Magnus watches as Alec gives his best attempt to follow Magnus’s feet, as he breaks out a simple dance move.

Together as a group, they continue to sing the song together, everyone joining in for the chorus, while some of the braver souls took the lyrics in between.

In the end, Magnus couldn’t remember a time in many years past that he’d had more fun than this, and sharing happy grins with Alec as he patiently and good-humouredly tried to teach him some simple dance steps. Alec had even mastered a few as the song finished, and a new BTS song started up.

The night went on for another hour, over before any of them were ready. But there was one thing that Magnus was sure of by it’s end. Alec was everything he had ever dreamed of finding. Now he just had to hope he was what Alec dreamed of too.

A few nights later, Magnus found himself at the cocktail party, ready to have some fun and then fulfil a promise.

The night of the karaoke date, Magnus had been quick to ask Simon of the reports of bullying at the house/resort where the dates stayed.

“I asked you to tell me if there was anyone giving others a hard time at the house.”

“Yeah, I know,” Simon said unconcernedly.

“Well I got word tonight that someone is giving Alec a hard time at the house,” Magnus tells him harshly, his eyes eagle-locked on Simon, demanding answers.

Hearing the tone of his voice, Simon looks up at Magnus’s face with an incredulous expression.

“You think someone’s giving Alec Lightwood a hard time?” He clarifies, before starting to . . . Giggle. The only word Magnus could come up with was giggle.

“So, it’s not happening?” Magnus says, less of a question in his voice than a clarifying statement.

Smiling softly at him, Simon reassures him.

“Look, I’m not saying they all getting along perfectly, and that they don’t have tiffs, but there is no one targeting Alec, and even if there were, and we didn’t see it and put an immediate stop to it? Alec would definitely put an immediate stop to it. Alec may have taken some crap when he was younger, I don’t know, but he sure as hell doesn’t take anything these days, or stand back and watch someone else take it.”

“Ok,” Magnus replies, reassured. “I’m sorry for doubting you. I just don’t like bullies, and . . .”

“And the idea of Alec being picked on especially got you all protective,” Simon finished.

“Something like that. I’m protective of them all, but I can’t deny that it being Alec mentioned, I started to worry.”

“Well don’t worry,” Simon said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I’m keeping a good eye on your man, for you.”

“You’re a good man, Simon Lewis.”

“Hell, yeah, I am!”

He’d then spent an enjoyable day with Jarrod at the race track two days later, the two of them sharing an enjoyment of fast thrills. Together, they had ridden with professional V8 drivers and experienced the thrill of a race, before being given the opportunity to take the drive themselves.

After they had enjoyed an excellent meal where Magnus had been surprised to find how much he had in common with the Washington political reporter. Like Magnus, he was a big advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and used his place in Washington to help advocate and champion equal rights for their community, something Magnus greatly admired. They’d also shared a unique experience of growing up Asian in America and the challenges that had encompassed, including their desire as adults to reach out and reconnect with their heritage.

He’d been a little unnerved to feel a stirring of attraction for Jarrod as the date had continued. As the evening had come to an end, he hadn’t resisted when Jarrod had leaned in to kiss him. It had been chaste for the most part and had contained none of the passion he’d felt kissing Alec, but he couldn’t deny that he’d still enjoyed it.

As he smiled his way through Michael’s announcement of him, Magnus couldn’t help but throw a quick look to where Alec stood over at the side, with Felicity, Tom and Lisa.

As Alec gave him a soft smile in return, Magnus tried to dismiss the small feeling of guilt he felt at having kissed another man, telling himself it was part of the show. It was what he was here to do and not having promised anything to Alexander. Technically he had done nothing wrong. If only he could convince himself of that.

Stepping down as Michael finished his introduction, Magnus began weaving his way through the crowd, stopping to talk to people along the way, but keeping his focus on Alec.

“So how are we all this evening?” He asks, having finally reached the small group.

“We’re wonderful, Magnus, how are you?” Felicity purrs from beside Alec, her arm staying wrapped around his, a pang of jealousy shooting through Magnus. What he wouldn’t give to hang off of those impressive biceps, he thought wistfully.

“I am fabulous, thank you, Felicity,” he answers with a smile. “I see you and Alec are still on your way to becoming BFF’s.”

Alec looks confused between Manus and Felicity as she answers him, a slight frown on his face.

“Oh, of course. Next to you, Alec is my favourite person here,” Felicity gushes, getting up on tiptoes to place a kiss on Alec’s cheek.

“We’re all becoming good friends here at the house,” Alec answers with a slight blush.

“Well that’s good to know,” Magnus replies. “Lisa, you are looking extremely fetching tonight. Might I be able to borrow you for a few minutes so I can look my fill, uninterrupted?”

Chuckling at the cheeky look on Magnus’s face, Lisa fought back a laugh before she was able to answer.

“Why, of course, my doting admirer. I can see you are in desperate need of my presentational advice. Let’s depart!” She announces with a haughty smirk.

Laughing himself, Magnus waves a quick goodbye to the others, seeing Alec smile at their antics, while Felicity looked annoyed and Tom looked relieved.

Stepping outside with Lisa, Magnus waited until they were sitting before turning to the woman with a soft smile.

“How are you?” He asked quietly.

“I’m ready to go home,” she says softly in response. “It’s time for me to go back to real life.”

Nodding in response, Magnus is quick to reassure her.

“I’ll send you home tonight,” he answers. “I appreciate you sticking around for another week, but I know I can’t be selfish and keep you here forever.”

“You don’t need me here to make this work, Magnus. You know what you are doing, and you know what you want. You just need to make sure you listen to your heart.”

“I will,” he promises. “You can’t blame a guy for being a little nervous,” he answers sheepishly.

“Being nervous just means it’s important. This is going to work out for you, Magnus. I know it. It’s fate.”

“Fate?”

“Alec told me you know how he came to be on the show —“

“He told you?” Magnus interrupted.

“He did,” she answered him. “Magnus, think of all the things that had to happen to bring you and Alec together for this. You agree to do this in the first place, the other date backing out last minute, Alec knowing one of the producers and turning up less than an hour after discovering they need someone new! Him already having all the background checks done! I don’t think any of that’s a coincidence. I think the two of you were meant to find each other. Everything and everyone else here is just a distraction. Stay focused on what you want and fight for it,” Lisa tells him emphatically, leaning forward and grasping his hands tightly.

“Who knew you were such a romantic?” Magnus whispered brokenly, a little overwhelmed by her statement.

“I just call it as I see it, and you guys have something undeniable,” she tells him gently.

“Thank you, Lisa. And I promise I won’t give up on him,” he vows.

“Good, cause I’ll be watching,” she tells him with a pointed look, before leaning forward to wrap him in a hug.

As they stand up to rejoin the party, Magnus holds her back one minute longer.

“Lisa, do you know of anyone giving Alec a hard time at the house? Someone bullying him or making him uncomfortable?” He asks, letting the tremor sound in his voice, knowing he didn’t have to hide how important the answer was from Lisa.

He can’t help but smile in relief at Lisa’s answer.

“Pffft! No one bullies Alec Lightwood!” She dismisses, before wrapping her hand around his arm and pulling him back to the party. A huge smile on his face, Magnus let himself be pulled along, knowing he would miss the woman when she was gone.

About an hour later, Magnus found a quick moment to pull Alec aside, wanting to spend a little time alone with him and feeling the need to explain some things.

They’d been talking casually in the alcove for a few minutes when Magnus gathered his courage to broach a difficult subject.

“Alexander, you know I that I went on a date with Jarrod this week,” he began.

“Yeah, V8 racing cars,” Alec answered, “I’m jealous as hell. That sounds awesome.”

“Well I can’t save all the great dates for you,” Magnus teases, giving Alec a quick, but nervous smile.

“Ok, but if I get another single date, I want something extraordinary,” Alec jokes back.

“Done deal,” Magnus promises, before biting the bullet and confessing.

“Jarrod and I kissed at the end of the date,” he got out in a rush.

He watched nervously as Alec’s face froze instantly, all emotion quickly falling from his face before he turns to look at Magnus.

“Yeah, I already know that. I’m confused as to why you and I are talking about you kissing other men though.”

“I didn’t want you not to know,” Magnus explains softly. “It’s part of the show and something that is expected of me.”

“And Jarrod is really hot and trying to win you over,” Alec answers with a humourless laugh.

“Alec —“

“No, listen, Magnus,” Alec interrupts. “It’s ok. I don’t expect you to suddenly stop flirting and kissing the others, just because we’ve shared a kiss. I know what this show is about and what you are here to do.”

Magnus starts to feel relieved and is looking up to Alec, hopefully when Alec continues speaking.

“It’s also incredibly unfair of me to ask exclusivity of you when I haven’t exactly committed as much as some of the others here.”

At the vulnerable look on Alec’s face at that admission, Magnus hastens to reassure him.

“All I’m asking for is that you leave yourself open to the possibility of us and give us a chance while we’re both here.”

“That I can do,” Alec promises. “And in the meantime, it’s fine that you enjoy dating the others, and share kisses with them. Just keep your promise that all you’ll do is kiss any of us while we are still on the show and I’ll be fine.”

“I haven’t gone further with anyone than I have with you, Alexander. And I won’t,” Magnus promises in return.

“Then we are all good,” Alec tells him with a smile, prompting Magnus to lean forward and kiss him.

Taken by surprise by the kiss, it takes Alec a quick second to respond, but when he does, he leans forward into it with enthusiasm, having missed the feeling of Magnus’s lips on his own.

He’d been unsure that what he remembered of their first kiss had been real, having never felt passion like that before with someone new. As they kissed again now, Alec knew that if anything, he’d forgotten just how amazing it had been.

Only just keeping the knowledge that there were cameras and microphones and other dates around them, they kept it as clean and chaste as they were able to. Alec could not resist letting his tongue slip forward for a taste and released a silent moan when he felt Magnus respond in like.

Eventually, the two broke away, once again keeping connected with their foreheads touching and exchanging the breath that fell between them, hands still clutching each other’s clothes.

“Maybe don’t tell me in the future when you kiss the other’s though,” Alec says softly. “Let me keep this visual in my head instead.”

“You got it,” Magnus says softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, constructive criticism is welcomed, but please be nice. Comments and kudos fuel my passion to keep writing so drop one below if you are so inclined and haven’t already.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna   
> John  
> Lisa   
> Semi   
> Daniela (Dani)   
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some important conversations are held, and while some truths are held close to the chest, others are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so there are parts of this chapter I really like and am happy with and other parts I am less happy with. I am posting it anyway, as I just really want to get to the next chapter, as I’m all excited about it. I’ve read this one through a couple of times and made some adjustments and in the end, I’m ok with it going out to you all like this. There’s not a tonne of intimate Malec here, but there is Malec, and I promise to make it all up to you next week. 😉  
> Also, a lot of this week’s chapter came out in Magnus’s POV. I wanted to try and even it out a little more, but most of what I wanted to put into this chapter had to be shown by Magnus, rather than Alec. Next week will be a little more balanced though.  
> A big shout-out to Malecfan09 for the wonderful date suggestions. As you can see, I have started using them, and there are more to come 😉. Thank you again, so very much!  
> A list of the dates as they remain at the start of this chapter can be found in the end notes, for those that want to reference it  
> I hope everyone has had a good week and enjoys their weekend.

Magnus is staring blearily into his coffee mug when Simon walks through the door the morning after the rose ceremony.

He’d been unable to sleep last night, after sharing that amazing kiss with Alec out at the alcove.

Honestly, he was a little terrified at just how easily the other man was able to capture his attention and keep it. When rationality kicks in, he knows that he should be trying to hold himself back slightly, protect himself and ensure he spends time with the other dates who don’t have the potential to destroy him.

The truth of the matter is that he can tell himself all that till he’s blue in the face, but the second he even sees Alec, it all goes away. The second they start talking, all he can think about is how much he wants him, how much he’s dreamed of him and how perfect they would be together.

Last night he’d laid awake in bed, reliving that kiss in his mind over and over, cementing every detail of it in his memory. His imagination had run wild as to what might have happened if they’d been alone with no cameras. Suffice to say, the vividness of his imagination had not been conducive to sleep.

As Simon walks through the door, Magnus reluctantly raises his eyes to the man, not having the strength to also raise his head from where it sat heavily in his hand.

“Usually, when I look like that, it’s because I have a raging headache and a stranger in my bed who’s name I can’t remember,” Simon tells him, raising an eyebrow at Magnus’s state of being.

“You assholes don’t allow us to get drunk and there are freaking camera’s everywhere, so if there were a nameless stranger in my bed, you’d probably know it before I would,” Magnus tells him with a scathing look.

“Too true,” Simon happily agrees. “Plus, you’d only care if it was Alec in your bed anyway, and you’d definitely remember his name.”

Ignoring the teasing expression on Simon’s face, Magnus raises himself from his chair with a grunt and goes to make Simon a coffee and collect the pastries. The two of them had established quite the routine these last few weeks, and a little tiredness was not going to prevent Magnus from doing his part.

“So why do you look like crap anyway?” Simon asked as he sat at the table and began pulling out his gear.

“One, I never look like crap!” Magnus exclaims, pointing a finger threateningly at Simon, before addressing his question with a lacklustre tone. “Two, I didn’t sleep very well.”

“Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do?” Simon asks softly, concern on his face.

Smiling in response to the care in the other man’s voice, Magnus silently thanks whatever circumstances had occurred that had Simon assigned to him.

“No, I’m all good. I just need to learn how to switch off my brain at night. Thank you though, Simon.”

“Maybe all you need is to. . . You know, work off some frustrations,” Simon says smirking, wiggling his eyebrows as he waves a hand suggestively.

“Ew! I do not need to see that from you!” Magnus replies in disgust while Simon just laughs. “And besides, that doesn’t help. Trust me. I tried.” Magnus begrudgingly told him, swallowing down his own laughter as Simon begins snorting in his enthusiasm.

Despite his shared amusement, Magnus struggles and succeeds to keep the scowl on his face, as he sits down grumpily at the table. Sliding Simon’s coffee across to him, he then places a fresh one on the table for himself, despite having a few mouthfuls left of his first. Finishing the old one-off, he pulls his new cup closer to him, wrapping his hands around the steaming mug.

Taking a sip from his own mug, Simon looks on with a raised eyebrow. Catching the questioning look, Magnus raises his own brow in response, before seeing Simon’s eyes drop and flick between the two mugs.

“I told you, I’m tired.”

“Uh, huh,” Simon replies, unconvinced. “Let’s get started.”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Magnus sighs, taking a quick sip from his new mug, before looking down at the folders in front of the two men.

“I definitely need your magic books today,” Magnus tells him. “I’m running out of date ideas.”

“I doubt that is possible, but seeing how tired you are, have at ’em,” Simon tells him, pushing the ideas book a little closer to him.

As Magnus flips through the book, he and Simon talk of random topics, sharing unimportant stories and thoughts, and continuing to explore their growing friendship.

“I’m all in with the original Star Wars,” Magnus tells Simon, “but the newer ones, both the prequel trilogy and the new trilogy just starting, they leave me cold.”

“How can you say that! There is so much there, building the world we had come to love in those first three movies! They were brilliance!”

“Brilliance?” Magnus asked incredulously. “Jar Jar Blinks was brilliance? Not to mention killing off Han Solo in the new trilogy. You’ve got to be kidding me?”

“First off, it’s Jar Jar Binks, not Blinks, and he was vastly underrated as a character!” Ignoring Magnus’s snort of amusement, Simon continued. “As for killing off Han, ok, yeah, that was maybe not great, but I don’t think Harrison wanted to continue and they had to make way for a new hero.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that,” Magnus says dryly, before looking back down at the folder.

Ignoring Simon’s snide huff of “philistine” under his breath, Magnus lets a date idea from the book capture his attention.

“What about the beach for the group date?” Magnus suggests.

“You just want to perve on Alec in a swimsuit,” Simon mutters, still obviously annoyed about Magnus’s Star Wars comment.

“I never said that I was taking Alec on the date,” Magnus says, irritably.

“Oh? Are you finally taking him back out on a single date? I’m surprised it took this long.”

Thinking of how he spent his night, Magnus hesitated slightly before responding to his friend.

“I don’t know if I’m up for spending so much alone time with Alec again yet. At least, not on camera,” Magnus tells him with a wistful sigh.

“You are losing control, my man,” Simon advises. “Ok, so no date for Alec this week then.”

“What! No! I’ll take him on the group date, of course! I’m not leaving him behind!” Magnus rushes to explain.

“You are a thirsty and desperate man,” Simon tells him, sadly shaking his head at Magnus.

His anxious expression turning to one of annoyance, Magnus gives the other man a pointed look.

“How’s Isabelle, Simon? Any progress these last three years?”

“Low blow, buddy,” Simon replies, backing off with a frown.

“You earned it,” Magnus tells him, gentle teasing in his voice.

Simon seems to think about it for a quick second, before answering with a self-deprecating grin.

“Yeah, probably. So what do you want me to organise for this group date to the beach?”

The two men quietly continued their plans, enjoying their time together. After a couple of hours, Simon departs to go make the arrangments, and Magnus retreats to his favourite sofa, curling up on it, and once more letting his daydreams consume him. He should be working on the papers Ragnor emailed him last night about the club, but knowing he had nothing but time on his hands, Magnus decided it would be more than ok for him to wile the day away and push the real world away for another day.

As Alec reached out and lowered the incline on his treadmill some, he discretely looked to the side and checked in on Charnze.

Alec had found him restlessly prowling through the resort after breakfast, unable to settle to anything. At first, he’d tried to engage the man in conversation, wanting to find out what was wrong. However, he’d failed miserably at that, and rather than confess his troubles, Alec worries that Charnze now thinks Alec is crushing on him.

Clearly interpersonal relations were not a specialty of his, but seeing how keyed up his friends was, Alec suggested going to the gym and getting in a workout. That had been over two hours ago, and while Alec was fit, there was only so much longer that he was going to be able to keep up.

Gasping in another rattling breath, Alec lowered his speed some more, putting himself into cool down mode. After a few more minutes, Alec had slowed himself to a walk and was starting to regain a steady breathing rhythm once again.

Looking once more over to the side, Alec let his gaze be obvious this time, deliberately trying once more to draw the man out.

“If you look at me any harder, Alec, one of us is going to wind up pregnant,” Charnze told him, not missing a beat as he continued running at full speed.

“God forbid,” Alec shuddered in horror, before refocusing his gaze.

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s up, or are you waiting for this treadmill to actually lead you somewhere?”

Glancing quickly at Alec, Charnze gave him a guilty look, before reaching out to lower his speed and incline, starting his own cooldown.

Seeing this, Alec stepped off his treadmill and, grabbing a towel, sat down on one of the weight benches to wait for his friend. Wiping the towel over his face, Alec lets his mind wander for a moment while he waited, wondering what Magnus is up to right now.

Alec had drifted off to sleep last night with a smile, nothing on his mind but thoughts of the beautiful man he was growing to care for. He’d replayed that kiss over many times before falling asleep, and for a brief moment, he’d entertained fantasies of them living out their lives together.

Knowing it was a foolish dream, but not quite one he was ready to let go of, Alec continued his resolve to take all this one day at a time.

For now, there was no harm in just seeing how all this with Magnus played out. Alec may have to rethink his plans as the show went on, not wanting to lead Magnus on if he decided he couldn’t commit. That being assumed, of course, that Magnus kept him around that long.

He couldn’t deny that there was a part of him that wanted to commit to Magnus now. That wanted to promise that he could be that person that Magnus apparently wanted him to be.

There was something that held him back, though.

He’d ever once imagined himself being someone to settle down into a relationship, to marry and start a family. He’d always had a restless spirit, and once he started travelling, he’d found his bliss, and he couldn’t imagine ever wanting to give that up.

He loved the freedom that came with travel—constantly exploring new sights, learning new things, meeting new people. He had never imagined something or someone tempting him to give all that up. And it would be giving it up. He would never force somebody to live like that, always waiting for him to return, sometimes waiting months.

And bringing children into that equation? Alec found that idea unconscionable. Children deserved parents who would devote their life to them, who would be there for them for the little things and the big things. Alec seriously didn’t know if he could ever be that person. But, here, with Magnus? Well, for the first time, he found himself considering that maybe he could be. More than that - that maybe he wanted to be.

Alec pulled himself back to the present as Charnze finished up and came and sat on the bench beside Alec.

“So,” Alec began, “you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“What makes you think something’s going on?” Charnze asked innocently.

“Geez, you’re going to make me work for it.” Alec groaned dramatically, causing Charnze to laugh. “I should tell you I’m not that good at this D&M stuff.”

“D&M stuff?” Charnze asks with amused bewilderment. “Is that some weird sex thing, cause I gotta tell you man, as hot as you are, my eyes are currently elsewhere.”

“It’s not a sex thing!” Alec protests laughingly. “Don’t you have any sisters? It’s a deep and meaningful, a heart to heart talk, you freak!”

“I’m one of four boys, and you can’t tell me you don’t like being tied up every now and then. You’re just as much of a freak as I am,” Charnze joked back.

“I’m not discussing this with you,” Alec laughed, pushing Charnze slightly to a near fall off his bench.

Recovering his balance, Charnze sat back up and suddenly became serious.

“Do you ever wonder what you are doing here? Like, here on this show?” Charnze asked softly.

“All the fucking time,” Alec drawled.

“Me too,” Charnze confessed with a soft smile.

“So this is about Magnus?” Alec asked, suddenly uncomfortable.

“No,” Charnze answered swiftly. “And yes, but mostly no. But also, a big part yes.”

“I gotta tell you, this isn’t clearing matters up for me at all,” Alec replied.

“Me either, that’s the problem,” Charnze told him with a sigh.

“I’m not sure I understand what we’re talking about,” Alec told him. “Are you falling for Magnus, or?”

“No. At least I don’t think so. It’s all confusing, and I don’t know what I want anymore.”

Alec nodded quietly at Charnze’s side, unsure what he should say in response. It was an awkward situation. They were both here dating the same person, someone Alec was becoming close to, and planned to become closer to yet. Sitting and listening to another man, even one he considered a friend, talking about his feelings for Magnus was not one he was sure he was ready for.

“Do you think it’s ok,” Charnze hesitatingly continued, “to maybe . . . To consider . . . Do you think it’s ok if I decide I might want something else? Or someone else?” Charnze put out in a rush.

“To want someone other than Magnus?” Alec clarified. At Charnze’s nod, Alec continued, trying not to let his own thoughts influence his words, or if they do, at least not make it obvious.

“Of course, it’s ok. You can only follow your heart, and if it doesn’t lead you to Magnus, then that’s that.”

“But it does,” Charnze replied, much to Alec’s despair. “Or at least I think it does. Or it did. I mean, I like him. I really do. For starters, the guy is fucking hot! And sweet, and funny, and successful and hot!”

As Alec shifts uncomfortably on his bench, he can’t help but internally agree with Charnze’s assessment.

“But I don’t know. Lately, I don’t think I’m as invested as I should be,” Charnze explains softly.

“Charnze, this is a game of chance,” Alec tells him, trying to find the words as he went. “The chance of any of us coming here and finding true happiness somewhere between 25 random people, well, it’s not just bizarre, but it’s incredibly unlikely. So I gotta figure if you see a chance for happiness, a chance for something special . . . Well, you gotta take it.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” Charnze asked.

“I’m trying. Does that count?” Alec answered sheepishly.

“Yeah, it counts.”

Silence fell between the two boys, each lost in their own thoughts. Alec is startled out of his by Charnze, suddenly jumping up.

“Come on! We’re going to go swim laps in the pool,” he declares.

Alec looks up in disbelief at the man.

“You can’t seriously still want to work out! Aren’t you tired?”

“Nah, man! That was only half my usual work out. How do you think I win all those games and awards?” Charnze said with a grin, not lying about his status as one of the country’s best footballers.

When he’d come out as gay, it had been his incredible skill and popularity that had managed to save his career from the initial reaction. Not to mention that he’d inspired five other well known NFL players to also come out, in the months that followed.

It had been a major news story all that year, with people calling for boycotts of the teams and others flocking to them in support. It had died down after a while when people had just stopped talking about it, and other things had become more interesting.

Charnze had held his head high throughout it all and had gone about his life, supported by his teammates and his fans. Alec was a baseball fan, more than football, but even he’d followed Charnze’s story as it unfolded and cheered him on.

When Charnze had taken a year off to go and play the Australian NRL (National Rugby League), it had coincided with one of Alec’s visit to the country. Alec had taken great delight in attending a game to watch Charnze help take the Canberra Raiders to the Grand Final that year, and had been beyond thrilled when they’d won.

Looking at the man now, as he continued trying to convince Alec to come swim laps, Alec felt less like cheering and more like strangling. Instead, he offered a compromise.

“How about you swim laps, and I’ll hang off the side of the pool and lazily kick my legs?”

“How on earth did you get that body with that attitude?” Charnze asked, annoyed.

“Good genes,” Alec shot back. “Is it a deal?”

“Yeah, come on.”

“Hey buddy,” Charnze says, plopping down on the couch next to Alec.

“Don’t talk to me,” Alec grumbles back at him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I can barely move, you over-energetic asshole!” Alec says, wincing as he turns in his seat. Somehow, not long after they’d reached the pool, Charnze had talked him into swimming just a few laps, and using Alec’s competitive nature against him, had goaded him into a few competitions. Competitions that had had Alec swimming approximately 50 odd laps.

The consequence of this was Alec could now barely move. Charnze meanwhile, seemed more relaxed, moving freely and looking like he’d left all his trouble behind him.

“Oh, come on! We hardly did anything! That was more of a playtime than a workout.”

“For you, you freak! And what the hell are you two laughing at?” Alec moans at Kim and Brianna, who are sitting across from them.

“You two are adorable!” Brianna grins at them. “Can we get an invite to the wedding?” At which Kim cracks up laughing, as does Semi who was sitting on Alec’s other side.

Alec jokingly protests that Charnze would kill him before they ever got to a wedding, he realises that Charnze had only half-heartedly joined in. Instead, he seemed to be looking across at Josh, who was decidedly not laughing at Brianna’s joke.

Interesting, Alec thought to himself. That might explain a few things.

They continued talking and laughing amongst themselves as the others came to assemble for the envelope taping, everyone trying to find a spot in front of the cameras. Usually, Alec would give his seat up to one of the others, and hide in the back, always eager to avoid the cameras. Today though, he decided to stay where he was, too tired and too sore to move.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear, Lightwood. Maybe we should let slip to Magnus what little stamina you have,” Camille said with a catty smile, sitting beside Becca who’d been saving her a seat, front and centre.

“Bite me, Camille,” Alec lazily replied, not even bothering to look up at her.

“Only if you ask nicely,” she shot back.

Looking up, Alec saw Camille giving him a pointed look. He felt a small smile come on his face as he looked away. He didn’t like the woman, but he couldn’t deny he enjoyed their barbs at each other. Not being used to being around people all the time, it was nice to vent a little frustration out on someone who could take it. In fact, seeing a small smile on the blonds face out of the corner of his eye, he suspected she liked it too.

Sitting quietly as the cameras started rolling and Michael arrived and went through his spiel, Alec let himself drift until Semi and John began reading out the date cards.

“The clue for the single date is ‘Let’s make a splash and hope no one steals our voices.’ Well, that’s a weird clue!” Semi finishes puzzled, while Alec bites his cheeks to stop himself from laughing. He’s willing to bet the single date has something to do with the ocean. Being as close to Clary as he is, he is well aware of how obsessed she is with Ariel, the little mermaid.

She had revealed her childhood fear to Alec one drunken night out, and he’d never let her forget he knew it. Growing up, she had somehow come to believe that she was actually Ariel in hiding and that the sea witch was hunting her down to steal her voice.

She’d somehow been convinced that her parents had stolen her away from the danger and given her a new name and identity, letting the sea witch believe she was dead. She’d become convinced that somehow the witch would find out she was alive and would never stop hunting her down.

Knowing now that Clary and Simon were writing the cards, Alec was having a much easier time figuring them out.

“And going on the single date,” Semi continued, “is - Lucas!”

Alec joined the others in congratulating the man, who was one of the few people in the house that Alec hadn’t spent a lot of time with. Though he was always kind and polite, he tended to avoid Alec and instead spent time with Semi, Janet or Harley. Alec wasn’t too concerned about it, already having made many more friends than he would have expected here, and definitely not looking to increase the number.

As the congratulations died down, Alec refocused as John began opening up the envelope for the group date.

“Life’s a beach, but let’s have a ball anyway” is the clue,” John read out. This time Alec literally had to turn his head away to hide his laughter, knowing this one came from Simon. Do they take one each? Alec thought to himself. Every time they went to the beach as a group, Simon would happily announce ‘Life’s a Beach’ on their arrival, as a play on the pessimistic saying ‘life’s a bitch’. If Alec hadn’t already known the man was involved in the cards, this week would have given it away.

“Going on the date is Felicity! Janet! Camille! Semi! Tom! Alec! Myself! And Jarrod is lucky last!” John finished calling out.

Alec’s smile widened after hearing his name called out, and seeing Jonathon trying to call him over for one of those ridiculous video confessions, quickly moved his tired body off the couch and out of the room.

Magnus can barely contain himself as he impatiently waits for his dates to arrive. He’d spent the last few days excitedly looking forward to this date. He and Simon had gone all out for their simple day at the beach, organising a beach volleyball game with some of the players from the US Champions women’s team, as well as a huge bonfire to end the night with, the approval for which just came through this morning.

Of course, there would be time to just hang out in between; sunbaking, swimming, sandcastle building. He’d specifically told Simon he wanted a large variety of equipment pieces available for everyone to participate in a castle making competition.

The winner would enjoy an hour and a half alone time with Magnus, as they took a walk around the bluffs to where some rock pools were located. The others would stay at the beach, and after the allocated time, Magnus and the winner would return for the campfire with everyone.

The winner would be judged by the women’s volleyball team, on the superiority of their sandcastle. He already knew Alec had a competitive nature, and Magnus couldn’t help but hope that same nature would carry him across the finish line for the win. He wouldn’t show it to the other dates, but Magnus was no longer trying to hide it from himself that he wanted Alec to be the winner of this whole competition.

His mind was pretty much made up. It now depended on the other man.

Seeing the cars finally turn the corner and pull into the designated parking area, Magnus felt his heart speed up in anticipation. This was one of the reasons he knew Alec was the one to beat. The first night meeting him, Magnus had felt his heart race in anticipation and stutter to a stop with every move the man made, and weeks later, his reactions hadn’t changed.

As Alec stepped out of the second car, Magnus’s eyes immediately locked onto him, and once more, he felt his heart’s familiar beat stutter slightly before it took off racing. Dressed in mid-length board shorts, the same blue as his eyes, Alec had left his short-sleeve button-up open, the palm tree printed sides flapping open as the ocean air reached it and displaying his delicious body.

A bag swung from his left hand as his right rose in a soft greeting to Magnus, an equally soft smile on his face as he looked up and found Magnus’s gaze locked on him.

Smiling in return, he was about to raise his hand in response when he heard Simon mutter under his breath from behind the camera currently focused on him.

“You need to look at them all, Magnus.”

Realising he needed to pull back, Magnus refocused his gaze on Michael who was doing his spiel for the camera, welcoming everyone to the date and explaining what to expect, including the sandcastle competition, which would win someone some extra time with Magnus.

He forced himself not to let his eyes drift specifically to Alec during that section, already beating himself up slightly at his rude and unwelcoming behaviour to the others a few minutes earlier. Instead, he moved his gaze across all the dates, never settling on any of them for longer than a few seconds, but personally connecting with them all.

Finally, Michael finished up and led the way for them all to the beach where lounges and umbrellas were waiting, along with the volleyball players and a net.

As they arrive and everyone dumps their bags, Michael immediately starts dividing everyone into teams. Magnus is disappointed to see that Alec is on the other side from him, along with Tom, Felicity, and Jarrod. Lindsay, the captain of the women’s team, will be joining their team also. Magnus is about to suggest that he and Lindsay swap when Michael explains that after half-time, Magnus and Lindsay will switch places, allowing him to play with everyone.

“Plus that way, I am guaranteed to have played on the winning team,” Magnus announces happily.

“Doesn’t that also mean you’re guaranteed to have played on the losing team?” Camille asks with a smile.

“Camille, my dear, I never lose,” he says with a sweeping bow to them all.

“Neither do I,” she replies, smiling coquettishly at Magnus before casting her eyes directly to Alec in a way that intrigues and bothers Magnus somewhat. However, seeing the smirk and challenge come over Alec’s face, he lets his concern go, and moves into position for the game.

As he looks up from his spot, he finds himself glad to be on the opposing side of Alexander for now, as the man stands directly in front of him, shirt abandoned and pale, yet lightly tanned skin glistening with freshly applied sunscreen.

“Oh holy hell,” Magnus says quietly to himself, caught in the beauty of the man standing on the other side of the net. For that moment, everyone else faded away, and he was once again worrying about whether his legs could support him in the face of such exquisite art. Alec’s body is just as brilliant as he remembered, the toned and defined muscles supporting a physique that any man would kill for.

Magnus for one though would love to have an opportunity to slowly examine every inch of the delicious body in front of him. He imagines exploring it slowly with his fingers before chasing up his touch with his mouth, feeling Alexander tremble and tense beneath him as excite builds within them both.

“Aren’t there only supposed to be four people in a game? Two on each side?” Tom called out from beside Alec, shattering Magnus’s private fantasy, likely just in time to stop him from embarrassing himself.

“For this game, we’re just having some fun, so there’s five players on each side. We can organise a proper game later for anyone interested in a little competition,” Lindsay told him.

“I’m in for a competition!” Alec immediately volunteered, closely followed by Jarrod, John and Janet.

“We’ve got a game,” Lindsay approved, nodding appreciatively at the competitive spirit the four of them showed.

“Well, as the real game filled up quickly, I will watch appreciatively from the sidelines when the time comes,” Magnus told them all flirtatiously, making it clear in his mannerisms, that he would be admiring more than their game skills.

With that thought echoing in everyone’s heads, Lindsay began directing the game, starting it off easy, with a soft serve.

The game was fun and energetic, and with so many people playing there were a lot of clashes in the sand. As Tom and Alec went down at the end of the first half, Magnus couldn’t help but let out a chuckle with everyone else as Tom fell down on top of Alec, causing the taller man to let out a deep groan. His laughter grew more concerned, though as Alec further explained his groan’s cause.

“Owww! You tackled my linebacker,” he moaned, his legs drawing up tight together as his hands sank down to grasp himself.

“Alexander! Are you alright?” Magnus asked frantically, rushing to his side. As everyone else drew closer, Alec let out a last groan before be opened his eyes and locked onto Magnus.

“Well there go the kids,” he tells Magnus with a weak grin. “Seriously, it hurts, but I’ll be ok. Just give me a sec.”

“I’m so sorry, Alec,” Tom told him frantically, his hands on Alec trying to offer support, but causing Magnus to see red.

“It’s fine, Tom. Don’t sweat it,” Alec told the man gently, patting the hand Tom was resting on Alec’s stomach.

“Let’s get you up, Alexander. Do you think you can stand? It might help to walk it off a little,” Magnus tells him gently.

“Yeah, help me up will you?” Alec asks Magnus, holding his hands out for a lift.

“Always,” Magnus promises, grasping both of Alec’s hands in his. As Alec comes to his feet, he winces slightly, before shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

“I’m so sorry, Alec,” Tom whispers again, his voice vibrating with suppressed emotion. As Alec looks over and sees the devastation on Tom’s face, he lets go of Magnus’s hands and pulls Tom into a hug, patting him on the back and reassuring him.

“I told you, don’t sweat it. There’s no permanent damage, and I’ve had worse injuries than this wrestling with my brother.”

Magnus watches with affection as Alec reassure his friend, but watches concerned when Tom closes his eyes in response and smiles softly at finding himself in Alec’s arms.

“You gotta be more careful, Tom,” Semi interrupts, giving Alec a playful smack on the back, and squeezing Tom’s shoulder. “That’s precious cargo hanging down there,” he says, drawing a laugh from everyone, including Alec who pulled out of the hug and, leaning down, scooped up some sand to throw at Semi’s back.

After a few minutes more of clowning around, the group settled back into their game, Alec now walking fine and moving freely. Now that he’s noticed it though, Magnus can’t help but notice how often Tom’s eyes land on Alec and follow him for some time when they do.

He lets it go for now, as Alec shows no awareness of this extra attention, and has never given any indication of liking Tom in return. Magnus resolves that he won’t let this go forever, but he doesn’t want today tainted with ugly confrontations. Instead, he catches Tom’s eye one of the many times it leaves Alec, and gives him an understanding and softly pointed look, before moving on.

As the first half comes to an end, everyone agrees to take a 10 minute breather before starting the second half. Everyone seems to mill around talking and grabbing a quick drink of water. Magnus sees Alec once more reassuring Tom, who still looks horrified at what he’d done. The two stay talking for a few minutes before Tom begins to look a little happier.

Seeing Alec step away to the side to apply some more sunscreen before getting a drink, Magnus grabs a second bottle of water and makes his way over to Alec.

“How are the jewels?” He asked gently, holding out the bottle for Alec to take.

“A little uncomfortable, but I’ll be fine. I think it was the shock of it more than any actual injury,” Alec says with a soft chuckle.

“Well, I’m glad there’s no permanent damage. That would be a tragedy.”

“You have no idea,” Alec says with a wink.

“Not yet, but I’m hopeful,” Magnus returns, a sly grin on his face as he watches that adorable blush creep up Alexander’s face, as his eyes drop down to Magnus’s mouth.

“You have a one-track mind, Alexander Lightwood,” Magnus tells him flirtatiously.

“You started it,” Alec flirts back, his hand coming out to flick Magnus’s arm slightly, a wide and cheeky grin all over his face.

“Let’s go! Second half!” Lindsay calls out.

The second half goes quickly, Alec and Magnus finding small moments to connect throughout it, be it small touches of the hand as they move past each other, or brief hugs of congratulations after a good play or a scored point.

In the end, Alec’s team comes out narrowly in front, and it doesn’t take long for the real game to assemble. After a quick discussion, Janet joins Alec on his side of the net, while John and Jarrod team up opposite them. The game is quick and fast and undoubtedly different from the fun free-for-all they’d just played.

Lindsay referee’s the game and as Alec and Janet quickly begin to take the lead, quickly declares Janet to be a powerhouse player.

“I went to school on a volleyball scholarship,” Janet confesses with a sneaky grin.

“Nice!” Alec declares, his hand up for a high five which Janet quickly reciprocates.

“How come you didn’t play that well when we were playing on the same side before?” John questioned, annoyed at finding himself losing again.

“Who could play properly with everyone jumping around on top of each other like that? That was less a game and more of a sand wrestle,” Janet replied.

“Maybe she just needed a good teammate,” Alec says cheekily.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Lightwood,” Jarrod shot back with a grin.

In the end, although John and Jarrod came back hard and gave it their all, Alec and Janet were able to retain their lead and claim victory.

“Good game,” Alec said, accepting a hug from Janet when she held her arms out in victory.

“You too, handsome,” she smiles in response. “And now, I have earned the right to be lazy! I’m going to go claim one of those sun lounges and relax. Maybe see if I can claim some of the Bachelor’s attention for a little while.”

“Enjoy,” Alec tells her, ignoring the slight niggle he feels hearing about someone else seeking out Magnus’s attention. “I’m going to go for a swim, cool off a bit.”

“I might see you out there soon if I can’t pull Magnus away from the others,” she agrees.

Alec watches briefly as Janet walks away and joins the crowd hanging around Magnus’s lounger. Camille, John, Jarrod and Felicity are all surrounding the Bachelor, all clamouring and fighting for his attention.

Not wanting to add his voice to the clamour, Alec turns, and instead jogs lightly down to the water’s edge, his thoughts racing. Walking in till mid-thigh, he dives under the water, feeling so much of his tension and whatever lingering ache remains, wash away from his muscles.

It had only been this morning that he’d woken without the lingering ache from his extreme workout with Charnze. He feared that his efforts in the two volleyball games he’d played might have reawakened his body’s complaints, but he had no regrets. No way would he give anything but his best when he was challenged, especially with Magnus watching.

His thoughts once again returning to the man, Alec risks a brief glance back up the sand. The crowd still remains surrounding Magnus, but Alec is surprised to see both Semi and Tom making their way through the water to join him.

“Not looking to fight for your space in the sand?” Alec asks with a smile, as the two finally reach him.

“I don’t shine, when I’m competing for space,” Semi tells him grumpily. “Bunch of vultures,” he mutters, sending an angry look to the crowd behind him.

“I hear you,” Alec murmurs, too softly for the other two to hear.

“I just don’t like crowds,” Tom tells them. “I’d much rather be out here with you,” he says softly, before quickly adding on, “in the water. Cause you’re in the water.”

Alec, hearing nothing bizarre in Tom’s stuttered speech, simply floats back onto his back, while Semi sends the paediatrician a puzzled look.

“So, who’s talented at sandcastles?” Semi asks next.

“I’m. . . Ok,” Alec finishes. “I’m certainly not going to win any competition.”

“Good! You get enough time with Magnus already, you gorgeous adonis!” Semi says with a laugh, playfully shoving at Alec’s shoulder, causing the other man to sink slightly before emerging sputtering from the water.

“You arse!” Alec laughs, sending a spray of water at Semi in retaliation. “And I don’t get to choose what time I spend with Magnus, do I? You can’t blame me!”

“Of course, I can! You’re gorgeous, successful and nice to everybody,” Semi says with a fake snarl. “Couldn’t you have like a hunchback or some weird, off-putting fetish or something?”

“Who told you about my armpit fetish?” Alec questions with fake suspicion, causing the other two to break out in laughter.

“Trust me,” Alec continues, “there is plenty about me that is off-putting. I’m sure Magnus will discover it before long.”

“Let me guess,” Tom says with a smile. “You cancel all your Friday night dates, so you can go read to sick children in hospital.”

As Alec looks blankly at them, for a second, before quickly turning away, Semi lets out a groan.

“You read to sick children in hospital!!!”

“We don’t read!” Alec justifies. “My best friend Jace got me into it. He wound up in hospital a couple of times as a kid and has a real soft spot for kids in hospital. He roped my sister and me into going with him when he visits, along with his girlfriend and a couple of our other friends. We play games, Izzy does make-overs, Simon sings with them, Clary draws their pictures, I write stories with them, that sort of stuff,” Alec explains. “Jace is the only one that goes regularly. The rest of us just go when we can.”

“Why the hell are you so perfect!” Semi complains loudly, yet with a massive grin on his face, before splashing Alec with as much water as he can propel.

“I’m not fucking perfect! And stop splashing me!” Alec shouts back, laughing, splashing Semi in return.

“You’re pretty close to perfect Alec,” Tom says softly, smiling at Alec before he gets hit by water from Semi too.

“Stop complimenting him, and help me wreck his perfect hair!” Semi laughs.

“You’re one to talk about perfect hair! You wear more hair product than Camille! And how the hell is your make-up not running, already?”

“Waterproof make-up and the rest is tattooed on!” Semi shouts back before trying to launch himself up over Alec in order to dunk him.

In response, Alec plants his feet, and instead, grabs Semi around the waist, and pulls him under the water instead. Rising quickly, Alec grabs Tom and does the same to him.

For the next few minutes, the three of them continue trying to splash and dump each other, laughing hysterically and forgetting for a moment about the group trying to outshine each other on the beach. Eventually, exhaustion sets in and they all float back, basking in feeling the sun on their face and water at their backs.

Magnus watches eagerly as the sandcastle competition proceeds, eagerly waiting to see what genius Alec can come up with to win some extra time with him.

However, as he comes to stand in front of Alec, he feels some of his excitement fade.

“Perhaps I haven’t provided you proper motivation, Alexander, but win this competition, and you get to spend over an hour on a romantic beachside stroll with me,” Magnus tells him seductively.

“I think you need to come to terms with the idea that I will probably not be winning this competition, Magnus,” Alec responds dryly.

“Not feeling the creative juices?” Magnus asks, swallowing down his disappointment.

“You’re assuming that my creative juices include those in sculpture art,” Alec told him, looking up with a grin.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Obviously, you need the concentration,” Magnus replies before walking away to observe the others. As he saw the other sand sculptures being created, he was happy to see that Alec was by no means the worst (he wasn’t even sure what John was attempting), but nor was he the best. Barring, unknown disasters from the others, Magnus was not going for a sunset stroll with Alec tonight.

Twenty minutes later, Magnus found himself returning Felicity’s bright smile as she was declared the winner, and fifteen minutes after that, once the camera’s were set up to move ahead of them, Felicity and Magnus set off together.

“So Felicity, where did you get your amazing sand sculpture skills?” Magnus asks warmly, starting off with an easy-open to get the conversation rolling. “Your castle was absolutely amazing! So detailed.”

“Well, I’ve spent most of my career as a swimsuit model,” Felicity explains. “Contrary to the glamorous image of modelling, it’s really a lot of standing around and waiting. Especially for a swimsuit model. Waiting for the perfect light, waiting for the right lens, waiting for the breeze to die down, waiting for the breeze to pick up, waiting, waiting, waiting.”

“And you fill that time with sandcastles?”

“I’ve got to fill it somehow,” she answers smartly. “How about you? How do you fill your free time?” Felicity asks.

Heaving a big breath, Magnus tries to answer.

“Well, truthfully, I don’t tend to get a lot of it, so when I do, I like to take it easy. Read a book, binge Netflix, even complete a jigsaw puzzle, enjoy a quiet dinner with friends,” Magnus tells her.

“I don’t like reading all that much,” Felicity replies with a guilty smile. “Does that make me shallow?”

“Not shallow, just not bright,” Magnus replies, laughing.

“Hey!” Felicity returns, with mock-outrage.

“I’m just kidding. You’ve never struck me as anything but a smart, beautiful and successful young woman,” Magnus promises.

“That’s more like it,” Felicity tells him proudly.

“So, what have you been doing at the house? I know I’ve been inundated with free time while here, and I will sadly admit that it took me a long time to detox from my social media accounts. I never realised before how much time I spent on my devices,” Magnus shares with her.

“Oh, I’m still not over mine,” Felicity tells him dramatically. “I miss my phone!” She says plaintively.

Chuckling in agreement, Magnus finds himself relaxing somewhat.

He’d been a little nervous about spending this time with Felicity, not to mention a bit disappointed. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with her, and even though he’d enjoyed the time he had, there was a slight discomfort to it. He wasn’t sure what caused it, and for that reason, he’d kept her around. He loved puzzles, and he was much too curious about what was off-base about Felicity to send her home early.

Then there was the fact that he had been actively hoping (internally at least) that Alec would win the sand competition, giving Magnus some private time to steal a kiss (or perhaps more than one). He’d spent the last few days since making these plans, daydreaming about walking hand in hand down the beach with the beautiful man.

Magnus was shocked out of his musings when he felt that same hand he’d just daydreamed about, suddenly taken.

Looking down, he saw Felicity’s hand entwined in his. As he raised his gaze, he saw Felicity looking at him shyly, or what he was guessing she thought shy looked like.

“You don’t mind, do you?” she asked softly.

“Not at all,” Magnus replied, telling himself he wasn’t lying. Wanting to move on and distract himself, Magnus repeated his question from earlier.

“So how do you spend your free time at the house?”

‘Well, I make good use of the resort gym,” she begins. “I need to be able to return to work after our honeymoon,” she tells him flirtatiously. “Other than that, I spend a lot of my free time playing solitaire, swimming, sunbaking, or hanging out with some of the others.”

“That’s right, last we talked, you were telling me how well you and Alec were getting on,” Magnus replied with a smile.

“Oh, yes. We get along famously. He’s like a brother to me, which I guess is why I’m so protective of him.”

“Protective? Alec doesn’t strike me as the type that needs protecting. Truthfully, none of you do. The show did a fantastic job of choosing some amazingly strong and independent people. I wouldn’t guess any of them need protecting,” Magnus finished, feeling confused.

He couldn’t connect the two points of view he was being presented with. He knew everyone still here to be well-adapted and self-confident people for the most part, and as for Alec, far from needing protection, he struck Magnus as the type to do the protecting. He could easily see him as defending someone less assertive or confident.

However, if Felicity was to be believed, far from being confident and self-sufficient, Alec had fallen victim to someone else’s bullying tactics in the house.

Magnus would never think less of Alec if this was what was happening. If anything, he would become more protective and obsessive about him. But it simply didn’t vibe with what he knew of the man, which meant that everything Magnus thought he knew about Alec was wrong. And if that was true, it called into question everything Magnus had thought they were building together.

“Does Alec really need you to protect him?” Magnus couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, generally I would say no, but I think he’s got a little bit of a target on his back. He’s been going on a lot of the dates, like every date, and so I think some of the others see him as competition,” Felicity explains.

“Well, not every date,” Magnus clarifies hastily. “He didn’t go on any of the dates the first week.”

“But he has been on every one since then,” Felicity says lightly, with just an edge to her voice.

“I see. I guess I didn’t think about how everyone would take that when I organise the dates. I just tend to invite who I think would enjoy it, and who I enjoy spending time with,” Magnus explains, before an errant thought enters his brain.

“You don’t find him to be a threat?” He asks.

“Oh God, no!” Felicity replies with a laugh. “Knowing Alec as I do, I know he’s not really one for a long term relationship. He’s a born wanderer. Settling down would kill him.”

Magnus feels himself internally blanch at that.

Could it be true? Magnus was pinning all his hopes on the idea that Alec was the one. Could he be wrong? Would he destroy the man he was rapidly falling for by asking him to settle down? Was Alec even considering this to be a possibility? Or was he just having fun?

Magnus immediately dismissed that thought. He’d doubted himself at the beginning, but he was secure in the belief that Alec cared for him. How much, he wasn’t actually sure, but Magnus knew he did. He couldn’t hide that attraction and affection, any more than Magnus could.

For the rest of the walk, Magnus listened with half an ear, just enough to respond appropriately to Felicity’s chatter.

As they returned to the others, Magnus could see that the bonfire was already lit and the others were already enjoying themselves. He could see Alec standing around with Semi, Tom and Janet, the four of them laughing and having a good time.

Needing to reassure himself that he wasn’t imagining the strength of his connection to Alec, Magnus excused himself from Felicity’s company. He immediately began making his way over to them.

As Magnus gave Alec a soft smile of appreciation, he felt himself warm all over in response to the beautiful blush that fell over Alec’s cheeks. Maybe his rosy hue was due to the heat of the bonfire, but Magnus let himself bask in the idea that it was simply caused by the two of them drawing so close together.

Having reached them, Magnus positioned himself next to Alec, their hands gently brushing past each other, where they rested by their sides. Sharing a soft little side glance with each other, Magnus shook off Felicity’s concerns, and basked in the warmth surrounding him, both from the bonfire, and the body heat of the man standing so close to him.

His smile dimmed briefly though when looking up to respond to a comment by Semi, and he caught the bitter look on Tom’s face as he gazed down at his hand, still casually brushing Alec’s, ever so casually.

Knowing he would have to deal with this soon, for now, Magnus let himself get caught up in conversation with Semi. He knew he could not let the week end without talking to Tom and confirming his suspicions. But right now, all he wanted to do was stand close to Alexander and talk with their friends.

Magnus has been watching Tom and Alec throughout the cocktail party and decides that the time has finally come to confront the elephant in the room. Alec has happily circulated throughout the party, chatting with his housemates, and exchanging soft looks with Magnus.

They’d found themselves in the same space more than once, but everything had remained casual, with nothing more than stolen glances and easy conversation occurring between them.

Part of this was because Tom had attached himself as Alec’s shadow, trailing the man with an adoring look, making little to no effort to hide his affection. For his part, Alec remained somehow oblivious to it, or, much to Magnus’s fervent desire, had absolutely no interest in the doctor and was attempting to let him down gently.

No matter the case, Magnus has decided that the time has come for him to make his claim and deal with this situation once and for all.

“Tom, can I steal you away for a moment?” Magnus asks, having approached the group were Tom, and of course, Alec had currently been chatting.

“Uh, sure, I suppose,” Tom replies uncertainly, glancing at Alec with an air of asking permission. His face falls with brief disappointment at Alec’s nod of encouragement, before he turns back to Magnus with a smile.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Wonderful,” Magnus replies. Giving the others a bright smile, Magnus turns and leads the way to the alcove for Tom.

Finally reaching it, Magnus feels himself take a big breath, before turning to smile at the other man.

“Take a seat, Tom.”

“Ok.” For a moment, the two sit somewhat awkwardly, before Magnus turns to him and finally speaks.

“Tom, are you in love with Alec?”

Magnus watches as Tom’s face registers shock at the bluntness of his question before denial becomes the prominent expression. But before it does, Magnus sees the flash of guilt that answers his question, before any words do.

“What! No, of course not,” Tom denies emphatically.

“I think we both know that’s a lie, Tom,” Magnus says gently.

“I-I-I don’t love him.”

Magnus looks away as he accepts the truth, seeing Tom give up the pretence first, with a guilty look.

“Does Alec feel the same way?” Magnus hears himself ask, internally screaming at himself not to ask questions when he’s not sure he wants to hear the answer.

“I don’t know,” Tom answers softly.

“Have you asked him?” Magnus asks, turning to look at Tom once more, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

“No. He has no idea. I don’t know if I should tell him or not. Whether there’s even a chance, he could feel the same way..”

Thinking about what that means, Magnus chews on the idea of pushing Tom to expand on that comment. After a moment’s reflection, though, he realises the answer, whatever it is would only break one of their hearts, so he lets it go.

“You know I have to send you home now, right?” Magnus tells him.

As Tom nods slowly in response, Magnus continues, explaining himself to the man sitting quietly beside him.

“You see, I’m falling for Alec myself, and only one of us is going to be able to go home with him at the end of this experience if we’re lucky. Fortunately for me, the show is directed towards me, finding my true love, so I get to decide who stays.”

“I understand. And I am sorry, Magnus. You’re a great guy. You’re just not the guy for me,” Tom explains.

“Fortunately, I agree with you,” Magnus answers with a smile, before taking a large breath of courage.

“I’ll tell you what I will do though,” he says, a hint of apprehension in his voice. “I’m going to give you the rest of the night to talk to Alec. Tell him how you feel, and if he wants to explore a relationship with you, I’ll send him home tonight too.”

As Tom looks at him with disbelieving hope, Magnus clarifies his offer.

“But he has to come and tell me he wants to go himself. I won’t take it from anyone but him.”

“I understand,” Tom says gratefully. “Thank you, Magnus.”

Not knowing what to say in response, Magnus smiles sadly at the man and slowly stands. Silently inviting Tom to do the same, the two quietly rejoin the party, not another word said between them.

For the rest of the night, Magnus actively works to not follow Tom or Alec around the room, purposefully redirecting his eyes away, whenever they come to rest on either man. He doesn’t want to see if a conversation occurs between the two, knowing that if it does and it doesn’t go the way he hopes, he has no chance of controlling his disappointment. It was bad enough he was going through this whole experience with cameras following him around. There was no way, he wanted to risk giving them that too.

For this reason, when he finally gets to the rose ceremony, Magnus is a bundle of nerves. He’s unsure if Tom has talked to Alec or not, and if he has, what Alec’s reaction to the conversation had been. He tries to read Tom’s expression, but for once, the man gives nothing away.

Not wanting to drag this out any longer than necessary, Alec is the first person Magnus offers the rose to.

“Alec, will you accept this rose?”

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, constructive criticism is welcome, but please be nice. Comments and kudos fuel my passion to keep writing so drop one below if you are so inclined and haven’t already.
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille   
> Lucas   
> Harley  
> Silvana   
> Brianna   
> John   
> Semi   
> Charnze  
> Jennifer (Jenni)  
> Alec   
> Josh  
> Rebecca (Becca)   
> Janet   
> Tom  
> Felicity   
> Kim   
> Jarrod


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some stories from the house and Magnus enjoys his new group date and single date.  
> We also get some background stories from our boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’ve had a stressful week and day especially, so I’ve decided to post this chapter of mostly fluff to cheer myself up and hopefully put a smile on all of your faces too. I would also like to take a quick moment to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you reading this story and leaving me comments and/or kudos. It means so much to me and I can’t thank you enough!  
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter.  
> A list of the dates as they remain at the start of this chapter can be found in the end notes, for those that want to reference it.  
> I hope everyone has a good rest of their week and their upcoming weekend. 😊

Sitting down to what had become a regular games day of theirs, Alec, Charnze, Josh, Semi, Jenni and Janet were playing a fierce game of monopoly, and this time Felicity and Jarrod had joined.

The group were gathered around the large dining room table, and as usual, their game was heating up with competition.

“Well, I’m out!” Charnze declared, joining Felicity and Janet at finding themselves bankrupt.

“I’m not far behind you,” Alec complained, throwing Jenni and Semi a dirty look.

Jenni must have felt the look because she never once looked up from rolling the dice when she spoke to Alec.

“Don’t blame me ’cause you can’t manage your money, Lightwood.”

“I vote we play scrabble again, next,” Alec declares.

“Yes!” Answers Josh, who is also close to bankrupting out.

“No!” Answers everyone else.

“You guys cheat at scrabble,” Janet adds.

“Who cheats at scrabble?” Alec asks indignantly.

“You! You cheat at scrabble,” Charnze huffs at him, with fake scorn. “And so does he!” He continues, pointing at Josh.

“I never cheat,” Josh responds softly, staring intently at Charnze as he does.

“Nor do I!” Alec agrees. “You can’t blame us because we’re educated in the English language, in a way the rest of you can only dream.”

“Whatever you say, but there is no way you two are as good as you act,” Charnze tells them, actively looking anywhere but at Josh who is still looking at him.

“Well, I don’t know about Josh, but I’m perfect,” Alec jokes, trying to cut the tension a little.

“Well that explains how you’ve managed to get on every single date,” Jarrod quips, moving his top hat around the board.

“What are you talking about?” Alec asks as a few of the others go silent around the table.

“Nothing,” Jarrod says, looking up from the game with an innocent face. “You just go on a lot of the dates.” 

“If we’re talking honestly, I’d take Alec on all my dates too, if I was the one organising them,” Jenni tells them with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Felicity asks with a disgruntled expression. “Why would you take Alec out on all your dates, when he’s gay?”

“Because she wants to meet Izzy!” Alec answers with a laugh, meeting Jenni’s hand across the table when she raises it for a hi-5.

“Damn straight, I do! Your sister is a goddess and a genius!” She declares.

“I’m missing something,” Josh says softly. “Who’s your sister?” Josh asks, Charnze and Semi looking on curiously.

“His sister is Isabelle Lightwood of Trueblood Jewels!” Jenni tells them excitedly.

“I still don’t know who that is,” Josh explains calmly.

“Neither do I,” responds Charnze with an apologetic look.

“She’s a fucking genius, is what she is!” Semi yells excitedly at them, before turning to Alec. “Are you fucking kidding me! Isabelle Lightwood is your sister! I would turn straight for her! Is she really your sister? Is she?” 

Alec flinches slightly at the full-fledged enthusiasm currently exploding upon him, starting at Semi with wide eyes and mouth open.

“I’m scared to answer you,” Alec says with a light chuckle.

The group watched with amusement as Semi visibly works to calm himself down, taking deep breaths and sitting back in his chair, pulling himself out of Alec’s personal space where he had somehow found himself.

“I’m calm. I’m calm. I’m calm now. See, I’m perfectly calm,” Semi says calmly.

“I think he’s calm,” Charnze says with a smirk, causing everyone to crack up around him laughing, while Jenni looked at him with sympathy and understanding.

“I hit Alec when I found out,” she told an embarrassed Semi.

“Really?” Semi asks, flustered.

“Yes, really,” Alec confirms, sending Jenni a dry look. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about that either.”

“You know you love me,” Jenni says, giving him a wink and a flirtatious smile.

“Is that why Magnus loves you? You trade on your famous sister, Lightwood?” John jokingly asks, walking in from the kitchen, Camille following along behind.

“Excuse me?” Alec asks, annoyed despite the amused tone.

“Oh, look, I didn’t mean anything by it. It would just explain a few things,” John tells him, hands held up in a ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ gesture. Alec is a little pissed off to see Camille smirking silently in the background.

“Explain what?” Semi asks indignantly, while Charnze and Janet each shoot John a dirty look.

“Nothing! Just a few of us have been wondering how you managed to convince Magnus to take you out every week,” John asks suggestively. 

“I don’t convince him of anything,” Alec tells him. “I’m just myself.”

“And that’s all you need to be, Alec,” Felicity tells him gently, shooting her own pointed look straight at Camille.

As John and Camille walk out, the game continues, a little quieter than before, but just as warmly. Soon enough, Alec bankrupts out and excuses himself from the table.

Much to his disappointment, Felicity gets up to follow him out. It’s not that he’s not appreciative of Felicity defending him earlier, but it had been unnecessary. He really didn’t care much what John and Camille, or anyone else frankly, thought about his relationship with Magnus. He was still trying to figure out what he wanted with Magnus himself. He had no interest in hearing anyone else’s interpretation of it.

Still, he appreciated it.

“Thanks for earlier. It wasn’t necessary, but thanks.”

“It was nothing. I don’t mind you getting all the dates. Better you than Camille.” 

Alec pretends not to hear the false and bitter note in her voice, unsure if it is there from a knowing lie she told or a truth she hadn’t yet admitted to himself.

“What do you have against Camille?” He asks with a wryly grin.

“She thinks she’s going home with Magnus at the end of this, and she’s not,” Felicity answers bitterly.

“Felicity, this The Bachelor. I never watched the show, but even I know its premise. Everyone here thinks, or at least hopes, that they’re going home with Magnus.”

“Everyone except those two in there,” She tells him with a grin.

At Alec’s confused look, Felicity clarifies her comment.

“Charnze and Josh. It appears they’ve decided to cut their losses and hook up with each other instead.”

“I don’t think they’ve hooked up, as you say” Alec explains, uncomfortable talking about his friends in this manner. “And it’s none of our business if they have, but maybe we should let them work it out without our interference.”

“Hey, I’m fine with them pulling themselves out of the competition a little early,” Felicity says with a shrug. “At least someone around here has a chance at getting laid.”

“If they are interested in each other, I’m sure it’s about more than getting laid,” Alec answers tightly, finding himself annoyed by the conversation.

“What, you think they’re falling in love?” Felicity asks doubtfully.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Them? Yes!” She answers emphatically, her face showing her amusement at the thought.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finally stopping where he was and looking at Felicity with an annoyed face.

“Nothing. Nothing at all, Alec,” she tells him placatingly.

“Uh-huh,” he answers dubiously. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go do some work before the envelope ceremony,” he tells her, walking away without waiting for an answer. 

A few hours later, Alec found himself sitting down next to Charnze on one of the couches, for the rose ceremony. He returned the easy smile the man gave him with one slightly less bright but no less filled with warmth. He’d grown fond of the football player and considered him to be a good friend at this point.

Felicity’s comments about his and Josh’s relationship earlier disturbed him. The dismissal the woman had had for the growing relationship between the two men, had seemed bigger than the two of them, but Alec was unsure what it was in reference to. 

Regardless of that though, he worried about Felicity or even one of the others, slipping some hint of Josh and Charnze’s possible relationship to Magnus, causing him to send one or both of the guys home, and thus denying them the chance to figure out what it was between them.

He’d spent the last few hours debating whether or not he should interfere somehow or keep out of it all. He’d still been pondering all that when the time had come to learn about the new dates.

As the cameras are cued in, a now-familiar yet still uncomfortable routine for Alec, Michael walked in and began his little spiel on the significance of landing a date with Magnus. 

“Remember, in a situation like this, time is currency. The best way to ensure you make a connection and don’t get sent home is to spend time with our Bachelor. I cannot stress enough how important these date cards are,” Michael said with a flourish.

Although Alec knew he was playing it up for the cameras, as was his job, he also knew there was a lot of truth in what he said. He couldn’t help but reflect on what John and Jarrod had said earlier. Discounting that first week, he’d been on a date every week. From what he could figure out, he was the only one who could claim that. Even Camille, who Alec reluctantly admitted seemed quite close to Magnus, couldn’t say the same.

Wondering if today was the day his luck ran out, Alec sat back to listen as Michael handed over the date cards to John and Lucas.

Lucas, having the group card went first, and Alec sat back to see if his suspicions were right. He wasn’t sure if it was the other’s getting into his head or not, but he couldn’t help but feel that his luck had run out.

“The clue for the group date is ‘Let’s see who’s got the best survival instincts, while we puzzle it out together.’ That’s an intriguing and slightly scary clue,” Lucas tells them with a cautious laugh.

“And going on the date is Rebecca, Silvana, Camille, John, Jarrod, Jenni,” 

As Alec turns to smile at Jenni in congratulations, he couldn’t help but reflect that there were only two people left to be called. By the sounds of it though, apart from Jenni, and of course Magnus, this was really not a group that he wanted to spend a lot of time with for an extended period of time. 

“Myself,” Lucas continues, “and the last person is Harley.”

Well, that’s that, Alec thought to himself. There was no chance he was on the single date when there were so many people who hadn’t spent any significant time with Magnus yet, so he guessed this week he was out. Figuring he’d spend some more time on his book, Alec tried to convince himself that this was a good thing. At the same time, those going on a date congratulated themselves on getting a date and those that didn’t, eagerly sat up to hear if they were getting the coveted single date.

As John stood up to read out the single date card, Alec sat back, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t hoping to get a second single date when others hadn’t yet received their first.

“The clue is ‘Come walk on the wild side with me’ and going on the single date is . . . DUM DUM DUM . . .” John continued dramatically, causing Alec and Charnze to roll their eyes at each other as they waited for him to open the envelope. 

“Alec!” John finished somewhat lamely, before turning to look at Alec with an ‘of course’ look.

As Charnze turned to congratulate him, Alec couldn’t help but preen slightly with the knowledge that Magnus wanted another single date with him. Not Camille, not Jarrod, not even Semi. No, he wanted his first, second date to be with Alec.

“And that’s the date’s for the week!” Michael announces happily. “Congratulations Alec on scoring a second single date,” he said with a smile. 

As Alec smiled back in response, he couldn’t help but take in the unhappy faces of some of the other dates around him. Only Charnze and Josh appeared unaffected by the announcement. Semi, Jenni and Janet all looked genuinely happy for him, although they still looked disappointed. Kim and Brianna also gave brief smiles before quickly removing themselves from the area. 

Looking up and seeing Jonathon enter ready for the video confessions, Alec hastened to follow their example. As he rushed past, he heard Jonathon call out behind him.

“You can’t avoid these forever, Alec!”

“But I can tonight!” He replied with a grin.

Two days later, and Alec is seriously enjoying his day in the house. It had started when the group date people had left to go meet Magnus. Alec had prepared himself to sit down and do some more work on his book when Semi and Brianna came to drag him from his chair.

“Come on, Lightwood! All work and no play makes Alec a very dull boy,” Brianna tells him with a grin, Semi trailing along behind him with a smile equally as wide.

“And what do the two of you have planned instead?” He asked, biting back a smile at their enthusiasm.

“We are celebrating that all the pricks and shits are out of the house, leaving it all for us to enjoy,” Semi tells him happily, while Brianna chuckles in agreement.

“Pricks and shits?” Alec chokes out.

“You know exactly who we’re talking about, Lightwood. Don’t pretend you don’t,” Brianna replies witheringly. “Now, while they are out there trying to charm our man, we are going to enjoy a day together, the lot of us, and have some fun!’

“I’m scared,” Alec replies blandly.

Brianna rolls her eyes in response, but simply continues pulling him along the hall and down the staircase.

Alec follows along, amused as Brianna drags him into the kitchen, where the other five are waiting. As Semi trails in behind him, he looks around at all the expectant faces with a blank look.

“Ok, why is everyone looking at me?”

“Because we are going to have a day of indulgence, food, games, songs, and laughs. And we’re starting it with food,” Kim explains with a grin. 

“Well, all except for Felicity who is on a perpetual diet,” Charnze informs him, casting a disappointed look at the woman as he speaks.

“Glare at me all you want, but I’m a swimsuit model, and a requirement of that job is to look gorgeous at all times. Pigging out with the lot of you is not going to help me stay looking like this,” she informs them with a tight smile.

“Well, we’re all naturally gorgeous,” Janet answers brightly, “so we’re pigging out!” With that, she, Kim, Brianna and Semi all exchange hi-5’s, while Josh and Charnze exchange amused looks with Alec.

“So again, why was everyone looking at me?” Alec repeated, for now ignoring the petulant look on Felicity’s face.

“Because you’re the best cook handsome,” Kim tells him brightly. “And we want to make brownies.’

“And cookies!” Semi added. “With choc chips in them!”

“And cupcakes, with lots of frosting and sprinkles, please,” Brianna tells him with a hopeful grin.

Looking at the hopeful looks on the faces around him, Alec gives in with a begrudging grin.

“Do we at least have the ingredients for all these things?” He asked.

“Yep!” Semi answered happily. “We asked that adorable Clary girl for them.”

“We also got the ingredients for a lasagne for dinner tonight,” Charnze slips in, while Josh holds up in his hands in innocence.

“Just letting you know, I had nothing to do with any of this.”

“That’s not going to stop you from eating any of it, though, is it?” Charnze asked him with a grin.

“Probably not,” Josh replies, ducking his head somewhat bashfully.

Hiding his grin at the cute display, and seeing Brianna and Semi doing the same thing, Alec pulls off his sweater, to reveal one of the soft v-neck t-shirts Izzy had bought him. Dumping the sweater on the chair behind the kitchen bench, he goes to wash his hands.

“If we’re doing this, someone’s going to have to put some music on,” he declares. “Can’t cook pig out food, without some sweet tunes to dance around to.”

“I’ll put on music if you keep stripping,” Kim replies flirtatiously, while Brianna nods enthusiastically beside her.

“Sweet tunes?” Semi responds. “Who says sweet tunes anymore?”

“All the cool people kid,” Josh answers, stepping up beside Alec to wash his hands too.

“Ok, cookies first,” Alec says, turning around to assess what they need. “Then the dough can chill in the fridge while we make the brownies and the cupcakes.”

Meanwhile;

Magnus wasn’t sure what exactly had possessed him to take the group date to a local escape room. Truthfully, it probably had something to do with Simon’s influence. He vaguely remembered Simon telling him a story a few weeks ago about an escape room he had gone to with Clary, Alec and their siblings and friends, and the amount of fun they had had.

“Seriously, Magnus! Isabelle was a genius. She figured out so many of the clues, it was amazing.”

“So she was the reason you all got out?” He’d enquired, amused by Simon’s never-ending enthusiasm for all things Isabelle.

“Oh, no. Everyone contributed. Jace and Alec worked as a pretty good team, though they complained a lot. And Clary knows all these weird and bizarre facts, which came in handy,” he’d told Magnus. The story had gone on, but Magnus couldn’t remember much of it after that.

Whatever else had been said in that conversation, Magnus was glad some of it had stuck, as he was having the time of his life! Escape rooms were amazing. They also gave great insight into how the others worked as a team and how they handled stress. And if Magnus had been forced to guess, he wouldn’t have picked things going as they are.

Jenni and Camille were happily making their way through the escape rooms, working easily with Magnus as well as each other, to solve clues and answer riddles. Between the three of them, there had been a lot of laughs and a lot of fun, and a lot of soft teasing about any mistakes that were made.

Jarrod, Lucas and Harley were also working well together, though with slightly less laughter and more focused determination. However, the three of them were probably responsible for two-thirds of their progress. 

Becca, the poor thing was lost, not handling the pressure of the challenge at all well, and for the most part quietly followed one of the two groups around, offering the odd suggestion, but mostly keeping out of everyone’s way.

Silvana and John, however, were no help. Though they tried to put on an act whenever Magnus was close, he had overheard them, more than once, complaining about the lameness of the activity and rather than helping to escape it, mocking other’s efforts to do so.

Magnus was more certain than ever that the two of them would be on the way out sooner rather than later.

Back at the house;

“Movie!”

“Four words!”

“Second word!”

As the group shouted out words, Semi began acting out his movie title, during their game of Charades.

Alec was surprised when Semi approached and pulled him up from his chair before pressing himself up against the side of Alec’s body.

“Next to!”

“Beside!” 

“Sex!” 

As everyone groaned at Charnze, Alec leaned down and grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, Josh and Kim doing the same thing on his other side.

Trying to offer another clue, Semi wrapped his arms around Alec instead and pressed himself even closer.

“Near!”

“Close!”

At Brianna’s guess, Semi let Alec go and held his finger out to her to indicate that she’d guessed right.

Watching as Semi held up four fingers, Alec called out fourth word and at Semi’s confirmation, began laughing as Semi grabbed his crotch in response. His laughter continued, as everyone immediately began calling out suggestions that quickly descended into chaos.

“Sex!”

“Dick!” 

“Crotch!”

“Screw!”

“Fuck!”

“Tiny!”

“Enormous!”

“Petite!”

“Colossal!”

“Gigantor!”

As Semi bent over in hysterics, he began shaking his hands back and forth in front of him, indicating he was going to go to another clue.

“First word!”

As Semi started jumping up and down, looking up the entire time.

“Jump!”

“Crazy!”

Alec called out next.

“Up”

With Semi pointing that he got it right, Alec began casting his mind around to what four-word movie started with the words ‘Up close.’

“Up Close and Personal,” Josh called out, Semi quickly indicating that he had it right.

“Nice guess at the romantic tear-jerker, Josh!” Kim called out cheekily.

“My favourite movie is ‘The Notebook’ so it shouldn’t be surprising that I know it,” he replied with a straight face.

“Really?” Charnze asked in disbelief, both a hopeful and a puzzled tone in his voice.

“No, not really,” Josh replies with a cheeky grin, making them all laugh. “I had a huge thing for Robert Redford growing up. Pretty much-seen everything he’s ever done.”

“Oh, God! Robert Redford!” Janet agreed. “You have good taste in men, Josh.”

“I like to think so,” he agrees.

“Oh my God, ‘The Way We Were!’ Brianna says to Kim with a wistful sigh, Semi quickly agreeing with them.

“Oh, no! You can’t talk about that movie, or I’m going to start crying! It’s my number one Streisand movie and my number one tear-jerker!” Semi tells them emotionally, Janet and Brianna nodding their heads in emphatic agreement while the rest of them sat there blankly.

“Mine’s ‘The Champ’,” Alec tells them.

“Now that’s a movie!” Kim declares, Charnze nodding fervently from his seat.

As the others all began arguing over which movies were the biggest tear-jerkers, Alec got up to go get a fresh drink of water. Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, he was surprised to turn around and see Felicity standing behind him.

“Oh. Hi,”

“Hi. I was wondering if I could get a quick word with you, Alec?” She asked.

“Yeah, sure. I guess. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to give you a head’s up.”

Alec cocked his head and gave her a puzzled look.

“About what?”

“I know you have a single date with Magnus in two days, and I just wanted to give you a heads up that Camille might be sabotaging that for you today.”

“What are you talking about?” Alec asked, confused. “Camille and I might not get along, but she’s not the type to go around sabotaging others,” Alec tells her emphatically, even as a small niggle of doubt sounded in his mind.

“You don’t really believe that, do you? Honey, you’ve got to not be so naive. Camille is here to win the game, and most especially to win Magnus, and she is targeting you,” she tells him forcefully, though never raising her voice.

“And you’re not here to win Magnus?” He asked doubtfully.

“Of course, I am. But I’m not going to go to the lengths she’s going to. And I know you won’t either, but you’ve got to protect yourself, Alec.”

“What makes you think she’s even targeting me?” Alec asked, none of this ringing true for him.

“Because I overheard her planning to cut you down in front of Magnus!” She tells him, leaning in conspiratorially. “She was telling Becca last night that she was going to get you sent home, to clear her way to Magnus.”

For a moment, Alec stood still, Felicity’s words spinning round in his head before he shook his head regretfully.

“Look, either she is, or she isn’t. Either way, there’s nothing I can do about it now,” he explains. “And if Magnus believes anything Camille tells him about me, then he’s not the person I hope he is.”

As Felicity goes to protest, Alec raised his hand and quickly interrupted her.

“I appreciate you telling me and giving me a head’s up, Felicity, but I’m not going to stoop to this level,” he tells her firmly.

“Let’s go back into the lounge. The next game should be ready to start up,” he tells her, before walking away.

Meanwhile;

“You are remarkably good at this, Camille,” Magnus tells her warmly.

“Oh, I secretly love this stuff!” She tells him with a broad smile. “This is like living out my own who-dun-it mystery.”

At Magnus’s curious look, Camille shared an embarrassed look with him.

“I love murder-mystery books,” she confesses. “And murder-mystery parties. I love trying to figure out who the killer is before anyone else. I’m kind of obsessive about it.”

“Well, now I know one of your secrets,” Magnus tells her flirtatiously. “Should I give you one of mine?”

“If you want to, but trust me, I more than have the skills to draw them out of you regardless,” she tells him with a seductive smile.

“Oh I have no doubt you do, Camille,” he tells her, a thrill of the chase going through him, the two of them sharing a smile of mutual enjoyment and attraction.

As they hear Jarrod and Harley’s strident conversations behind them, Lucas trying to interrupt to keep the peace, they turn back to more mundane topics.

“So do you like to read, Magnus?” Camille enquires.

“I do, though I don’t get nearly as much time to do so as I would like.”

“Are you reading anything now?”

“I’m actually reading one of Alec’s books,” he tells her, not noticing her expression as he continues looking around the room for more hidden sparrows. “One of the producers had a copy of it and lent it to me. It’s absolutely fascinating the places he’s been. Almost makes me want to abandon my business and volunteer commitments and take off travelling myself.”

“It would be nice,” she responds quietly.

“Have you don’t much travelling?” Magnus asks, briefly turning to look back at her.

“Oh, I’ve done quite a bit with my family. Nothing like Alec has done, though, I don’t think. I’m afraid he’s a bit more adventurous than me.”

“Than me too, I’m afraid. Though he definitely makes it sound appealing,” Magnus says, a hint of longing in his voice.

“Well that’s the talent of a good writer, I suppose,” she tells him before quickly changing the subject. “You know, I don’t think we’ve looked on the north wall. Let’s head over there.”

Two days later

Magnus knew he should be looking at the beautiful scenery in front of him. High Falls Gorge and it’s gorgeous forests were breathtaking and worthy of any appreciation given, but even they couldn’t compare to the beauty of the man next to him.

The two of them had flown to the current location by helicopter, to enjoy a nature walk and some spectacular waterfalls, before a car would take them to a nearby lakeside town for dinner. A beautiful and relaxed day by any accounts and one that Magnus hoped would suit Alec’s desire to explore new lands.

He and Alexander were currently walking the extended nature trail of the High Falls Gorge and were about to come upon the view of Whiteface Mountain, gorgeous by anyone’s standards. But not long after arrival, Alec had suggested a game to get to know each other a little better, and it had left Magnus completely distracted as he ate up any and all new information about the man in front of him. The game had started out as truth, truth, lie. A silly little exercise where you told two truths and a lie and the other person had to guess which was the lie.

Magnus had quickly declared he only played games when he knew what the prize was at the end.

“Winner gets a kiss,” Alec had quickly answered.

“Are you telling me I won’t get to kiss you today otherwise?” Magnus asks in amused disbelief.

“Only if you win,” Alec confirms.

Enjoying the banter, Magnus gives Alec a conniving look.

“But if you win, I give you a kiss, right?”

“Nah, I’m getting my kiss from the helicopter pilot!” Alec says with a wide smirk. “He was hot!”

“You asshole!” Magnus laughs, playfully smacking Alec’s arm and immediately getting distracted by the strength and width of the muscle beneath.

“I’m just kidding,” Alec tells him, his playful tone falling into something a little quieter. “You’re the only one getting my kisses.”

“Does that start now?” Magnus asks, hopefully. “You know, as an incentive to play my best.”

“An incentive, huh?” Alec asks with a bashful smile.

“The very best kind,” Magnus murmurs, before the two lean close and finally connect. The familiar flare of desire burns through them, the second their lips touch, and it’s with shaky breaths and slightly unfocused gazes that they pull back and separate.

That had been 15 minutes ago, and the game, though fun, had quickly turned to simply taking turns asking each other questions, with soft looks and quick heated kisses exchanged in between.

“Earliest childhood memory?” Alec asked as they moved along the trail.

“Oh wow! Let me think,” Magnus tells him. “Got it! I was four? Or five? Anyway, my Mother and I had not long moved to New York and she’d woken up one winter morning to find out it had snowed overnight. It was the first time either of us had seen snow,” he explained with a soft look, obviously caught up in the memory. “She came into my room, and it was like 5 am, and she was shaking me awake to drag me out to play in the snow,” Magnus tells him, laughing softly at the memory. “We ended up getting so sick, spending the next few days off school and work with heavy colds. We would just sit at the window of our tiny apartment, wrapped up in blankets and looking out at the winter wonderland outside.” 

For a second, Magnus feels lost in the memory of his beloved mother, almost feeling her arms wrapped around him as they had been that week as they gazed outside. After a moment, he shakes off the memory and looks over at Alec.

“I’ve loved the snow ever since,” he tells him quietly.

“She sounds amazing, Magnus,” Alec responds softly, squeezing Magnus’s hand in response.

“She was,” he answers, a little emotionally, but happy he can share these memories with Alexander.

“My turn,” he says next, and with a sly smile, asks his next question.

“Have you ever flashed your junk to someone other than a lover?”

Magnus almost forgets his question as Alec throws his head back in a full-bodied laugh, coming to a complete stop on their trek while he tries to gather his composure. Smiling in response to the other man’s happiness, and attempting to stay focused, Magnus prompts him after a minute.

“Well?”

“I have,” Alec confesses with a grin.

“Oh! Alexander, I’m shocked!” Magnus responds his mouth open in a faux-scandalised manner. “Tell me more!”

“I was in Argentina, and looking to just relax and unwind with my book for a day, I accidentally wandered onto a nudist beach,” Alec explained.

“And what did you do?” Magnus asked, intrigued.

“I stripped,” Alec told him. At Magnus’s shocked face, he continued speaking. “What! It was a nice beach, and I wanted to read my book by the ocean.”

“Damn! I’ve got to get me to Argentina,” Magnus responds with a sly grin.

Shaking his head, he gives Magnus a bashful smile in response to his flirting before continuing.

“Ok, my turn. Have you ever flashed someone other than a lover?” He asks, turning the question back to Magnus.

“More than once,” Magnus confesses with playful guilt. “But only once unintentionally.”

“Well, I want to hear about that one,” Alec tells him. “Wait! Are you a secret flasher or something? How many times have you flashed someone? And how long do I have to wait to catch a glimpse?”

“Well, you can have a glimpse anytime, handsome!” Magnus quickly shoots back. “Anytime there aren’t multiple camera’s on us,” he clarifies with a wry grin. And no, I’m not a secret flasher, scaring little old ladies-“

“-or giving them a thrill!” Alec interrupts, while Magnus continues with an amused grin.

“I’ve gone skinny dipping with friends, and visited a few nudist beaches myself,” he explains. “No, the only time I did it unintentionally, was at a Pride Parade 4 years ago. I was wearing these adorable sparkly silver hot pants and some angel wings, and looking hot if I do say so myself.”

“I have no doubt,” Alec agrees, smiling as he listens to the story.

“Well anyway, I was having a wonderful time, and dancing and entertaining the masses, completely unaware that the more I sweated, the more the hot pants turned - well - transparent!”

“Oh no!” Alec says, bursting out laughing.

“And all my friends saw it, and none of them said a single word to me! I went the entire parade like that!” He splutters happily, once again getting caught in the beauty of Alexander’s smile. It was so stunning like this, the man wholly unguarded and open, nothing held back. Magnus would tell every embarrassing story of himself that he had (and trust him, he had a lot!) if it meant he could keep seeing that smile.

“To be fair,” Alec says, drawing Magnus back to their conversation, “it’s not the worse thing Pride has seen. Most people probably think you did it deliberately and admired your bravery.”

“Trust me, honey, it wasn’t my bravery they were admiring,” Magnus tells him flirtatiously, watching in delight as that adorable blush began blooming over Alexander’s face.

For a few minutes, they walk along quietly, simply holding hands and taking in the views around them. 

He’d been a little nervous asking Alec out for another single date when others had barely had a second group date. He’d heard what Felicity had said to him last week about there being some jealousy at the house of how much time he spent with the gorgeous writer. He’d thought about it, and figured it was true. At least one, if not more of the dates were bothered by this, or else she wouldn’t have mentioned it. 

Frankly, though, he didn’t care. He knew Alec was more than capable of handling anything the others threw at him, and by all accounts and from what he’d witnessed, he’d made quite a few friends at the house, so if he ever did need back up, Magnus was sure they’d provide it. But he wasn’t going to let the petty jealousy’s of others, put at risk his chance at happiness. 

He was growing more and more enamoured of Alec with every moment he spent with him. While he wasn’t sure yet if they could make a life together, one that would last, he knew he was the only one he was seriously considering on this show.

It’s funny how things worked. If this show had gone according to plan, Alec would never have been here, and if that had happened, Magnus imagined he would have happily gone along, imagining building a life with Camille, or Jenni or Jarrod. He had felt attraction for and was rapidly building strong rapports with all three of them. Or maybe it would have even been one of the others, someone who had never had a chance to shine for him when his gaze was so inexorably pulled to Alec all the time. 

But the truth was, his gaze did keep returning to Alec. It was Alec whom he considered above all others, Alec he thought about, Alec he dreamed about. While Alec was here and willing to consider merging his life with Magnus’s, he could look no further. He could only hope it wouldn’t come to bite him in the arse.

“My turn,” Magnus said, needing a distraction from his thoughts.

“Biggest heartbreak?”

Turning quickly to look at him, Alec gave him a quick frown of puzzlement.

“Romantic?” He clarified.

At Magnus’s nod, he let out a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders.

“Truth is, I’ve never had one.”

Coming to a stop, Magnus pulled on Alec’s hand unknowingly, causing the other man to stop too, and look back at him a little apprehensively.

“You’ve never been heartbroken?” Magnus asked in disbelief, wondering how this was possible.

“Nope,” Alec confirms, before pulling at Magnus’s hand to get them moving again.

As Magnus stumbles along beside him, Alec expands on his answer.

“I’ve actually only ever had one serious relationship,” he says. “My junior year of college, my ex, Andrew, asked me out. He was cute, nice, funny. I wanted to see what having a boyfriend was like, so I said yes.”

“He was your first?” Magnus asks.

“First boyfriend, but not my first. I’d had hook-ups and that prior. My first time was actually with a friend when we both wanted to get it out of the way together. Pretty much destroyed our friendship though.”

“So, what happened with Andrew?” Magnus asked quietly.

“Nothing happened,’ Alec said with another shrug. “We got together at the end of junior year, dated for over a year. When we started making plans after graduation, I wanted to take off travelling, and he was planning to go on to law school, so we decided to separate and go our own way. No hard feelings, no big fights, nothing,” Alec explains. “We stayed facebook buddies for a while, but now it’s nothing more than liking the occasional post from each other.”

“Wow,” Magnus says, amazed. “That’s so civilised.”

“I guess. What about you?”

“One actually somewhat similar, and another scarily not so.”

At Alec’s curious look, Magnus only somewhat reluctantly begins to explain.

“Dot was my first love. We were together for three years during college, and then she got the opportunity to study overseas for two years. We tried to do the long-distance thing, but ultimately that distance just made our lives too different. Without the little daily things tying us together, the big things became huge obstacles. We had a couple of huge fights and then decided to part ways, while we were still capable of being friends. She still lives overseas now, but we catch up whenever she returns to the States for work, grab lunch or whatever.”

“And the other?”

“Imasu was another story. We were together for two years, living together for the last year. Everything started out great, but as I became more and more active in the LGBTQ+ community and grew a bigger social media presence, the less happy he became. He wanted me to tone down, draw less attention to myself. In the end, I caught him cheating on me, and when I confronted him about it, he told me I was simply too much, and that he didn’t want to have to deal with all the “extra” that came with me,” Magnus said sadly.

“He sounds like an utter arsehole,” Alec bites out, his voice low and hard.

Magnus can’t help but smile at Alec’s emphatic defence of him.

“Thank you, Alexander,” he replies simply.

“You know, I never met this Imasu,” Alec tells him, his mouth twisting bitterly on the other man’s name, “but it sounds less like you being too much, and more like him being not enough. If your brilliance threatened him, I think that was his problem, not yours.”

Once again, Magnus finds himself coming to a stop, utterly speechless. As Alec stops to look back at him, he gives Magnus a gentle smile. Feeling overcome at the warmth and support Alec’s words offered him, Magnus can think of only one thing to do.

He takes the two steps needed to press himself against Alexander, and grasping the back of the man’s neck, pulls his lips down to meet his own.

Alec isn’t sure what exactly he said that caused this response, but whatever it was, he’d happily do it again and again.

He groaned as Magnus’s tongue swept over the seam of his lips, asking for permission to go further, permission Alec eagerly granted. As he felt Magnus’s tongue slide over his, he couldn’t resist pulling the man in even closer, his hands grasping the slim hips and pulling them tight against his own.

He distantly heard Magnus moan as their growing erections rubbed up against each other. Echoing the moan, Alec relished in the feeling of Magnus’s hands moving under his shirt and sweeping over his back. He’s completely absorbed in their kiss and has completely forgotten about the cameras surrounding them when he feels a stone bounce off his lower leg.

“Ow!”

“What? What’s wrong?” Magnus asked dazedly, looking up at him in a way that had Alec wanting to forget about his leg and fall back into the kiss. Just as he’s leaning back down, he hears someone clear his throat, and looking up sees Simon smiling broadly and looking between the two of them, a second stone held loosely in his hands.

“Camera’s,” he mutters gruffly, trying to unobtrusively angle their bodies away from the cameras.

“What?” Magnus responds blankly, obviously not quite recovered from the kiss yet. It’s only a second later though that Alec sees Magnus give himself a mental shake before he too looks around and notices where they are and who’s with them.

“Oh,” he says softly, looking down, embarrassed.

Placing a hand under his chin, Alec angles Magnus’s face up to look at him.

“Hey. It’s all good. It’s ok that we like each other,” he reminded the other man. He feels himself take a breath of relief when Magnus smiles up at him gratefully.

“It’s more than ok,” Magnus tells him softly. “It’s perfect.”

“Yeah, it is.” Leaning down and pressing one last quick kiss to Magnus’s lips, Alec turns and begins pulling them back up the path again, their joined hands held discretely over Magnus’s crotch who was still willing himself down.

“So who’s turn is it?” Alec asks.

An hour later and the two of them have begun seeing the falls in front of them. They’ve walked past the impressive main falls, and the mini-falls and having just left Rainbow Falls, are approaching the final set of waterfalls now. Not that the two of them are paying a lot of attention to the scenery anymore. They were still playing their game of ‘getting to know you’ as they walked the trail. 

Occasionally they would stop to look at the nature around them, to take in the beauty of the falls or one of the other natural treasures around them. Mostly though, they were simply absorbed in each other. 

Though they still asked each other questions, their questions often now descend into complete conversations, as one of them would want to know more after hearing an answer. It would usually be some time before they return to the next question.

“Most embarrassing thing you’re not ashamed to admit to?” Magnus asks him with a grin.

“What? What sort of question is that?” Alec splutters, not even sure what he’s been asked.

“You know!” Magnus tells him, laughing. “The thing society says you should be embarrassed about, but you refuse to be because you alone know you’re right.”

Bent over laughing, Alec wipes the tears from his eyes as he desperately tries to find an answer to the question.

“Um. I bawled like a baby at the end of Toy Story 3,” he says lamely in response.

“Pfft!” Magnus dismisses. “Everyone cried in Toy Story 3,” Magnus told him affectionately.

“It still counts!” Alec protested. 

As Magnus continued laughing, Alec joined in, haltingly asking what Magnus’s answer was, since his was so inadequate.

“I video-chat with my cat every night,” Magnus tells him proudly.

For a few seconds, Alec just stares at him blankly.

“You video-chat with your cat?”

“Chairman Meow,” he confirms with a nod.

Alec watches Magnus carefully, and though the man was still laughing, he can also see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, as if wary that Alec was going to judge him for this.

“That’s not fair,” Alec tells him gently.

“What?” Magnus questions, a little confused.

“Every time you reveal something new to me, you make me fall for you just that little bit harder.”

At Alec’s statement, Magnus feels his breath catch in his throat. Suddenly feeling lightheaded, he sits down heavily on one of the benches available to view the falls from.

“You can’t just drop statements like that on me, Alec and expect me to stay upright,” he confesses, a broken laugh emerging from him.

“It’s the truth,” Alec tells him lightly, sitting down beside him.

“I hope you know the sentiment is returned in it’s entirety,” he tells Alec, reaching back out to grasp the man’s hands, desperate to make the other man believe him.

“I know,” Alec murmurs back, squeezing Magnus’s hands gently.

For a moment, the two of them simply sit there quietly, looking out at the falls on either side of them, their hands held warmly in between them.

“Speaking of affection,” Magnus says quietly, so as to not disturb the peace. “Was Tom terribly upset when you turned him down?”

“Turned him down?” Alec asked, puzzled. “What are you talking about?”

Feeling he may have opened up a can of worms he thought was already open, Magnus wonders if he has just made a grave mistake.

“He didn’t come talk to you before he left?” Magnus asks faintly.

“Why would he? He didn’t even know he was leaving.”

Seeing the expression on Magnus’s face, Alec questioned his last statement.

“Did he?”

Internally kicking himself, Magnus set out to explain and, he hoped, finally reassure himself that Alec’s interest lay only in him.

“I talked to him the night of the rose ceremony, Alec. I explained to him that I would be sending him home and then encouraged him to go talk to you before he left,” Magnus told him. “I’d hoped I was sending him to find closure.”

“I feel like I’m missing some vital information here. Why would he come speak to me to find closure?”

“For the same reason, I had no choice but to send him home,” Magnus admitted. “We were falling for the same man.”

Magnus smiles slightly in response to the flash of jealousy, moving briefly over Alec’s face before awareness finally dawns.

“Me?” He asks in disbelief.

“Yes, you Alexander,” Magnus tells him with a soft chuckle. “Are you really trying to tell me you had no idea Tom liked you?”

“Not like that!” Alec says, scandalised.

“Well, he did,” Magnus said. “I’ve known it for a little while. I thought it was just a crush, and frankly, who could blame him,” Magnus jokes half-heartedly. “Anyway, once I realised it had progressed to more than a crush, I knew I had to send him home. So I pulled him aside at the cocktail party and told him I knew how he felt, but that feeling the same, we couldn’t both stay.”

Magnus fidgets nervously, fingers playing with the ear cuff he’s currently wearing as he takes in the shock on Alec’s face.

“Why did you think he came and spoke to me?” Alec asked.

“Because, I told him too,” Magnus replies with a sad smile. “I told him, he had up until the rose ceremony to pull you aside. He had till then to find out if you felt the same as him.”

Alec sits there for a few seconds longer, before speaking the words Magnus dreaded to hear.

“And? If I told him I did feel the same? What would have happened then?” Alec asks consideringly, a strange look on his face.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Magnus answers honestly.

“Then I would have sent you both home. Let the two of you make a go of it.”

“You would have done that?” Alec asks in a serious voice, seeming to place great importance on Magnus’s answer. Not knowing if he was about to end his relationship with Alexander or not, Magnus nods.

“I want you to be happy, Alexander. I’m just hoping that ultimately you find that happiness with me.”

“I hope that to,” Alec answers, and Magnus can feel his heart pounding in hope and joy.

“I’m not in love with Tom, Magnus. I never saw him as anything more than a friend.”

“Really?”

“Really. There’s only one man here that I am interested in pursuing a relationship with, and he’s sitting right here in front of me.”

Magnus is smiling happily at his words when Alec speaks again.

“So when do I meet Chairman Meow?” He asks with a grin.

“You’ll have to last to the end of this thing if you want to meet the Chairman,” Magnus tells him, grinning in return. “You think you can hold my interest that long?”

“I’ll do my best,” Alec answers flirtatiously.

As they get up to resume their walk, Magnus can’t resist getting one last word in.

“By the way, Alexander. If the Chairman doesn’t like you, then this will never work.”

He smiles quietly to himself as Alec laughs in response, that same big smile lighting up his face.

“It was called ‘Climax Falls’ Alexander! It’s kismet!”

“I don’t think kismet means what you think it means, Magnus,” Alec says dryly.

They are currently eating their dinner at the Riverside Park at Saranac Lake, NY. The spot could not be more romantic, the restaurant’s terrace where they were currently eating, overlooking Lake Flower. The lake reflecting all the fairy lights strung up in the trees and along the restaurant’s balustrades. In the background, some beautiful slow flamenco guitar music was playing. 

Alec couldn’t have created a more romantic atmosphere if he had written it himself.

If only he could get Magnus to stop talking about climaxing!

“It means fate, destiny,” Magnus replies hurriedly, waving his hands to indicate that the definition is irrelevant.

“Alexander, we were kissing in front of Climax Falls! Confessing our feelings for each other and kissing! Passionately!” Magnus tells him emphatically. “In front of Climax Falls! Climax Falls, Alexander!

“I remember, Magnus,” Alec tells him laughingly. “I also remember the multitude of cameras, microphones, and the fact that there was absolutely no climaxing!”

“There could have been though,” Magnus teases. 

“Nice to know about the exhibitionist streak early on,” Alec teases back.

“Oh Darling, there is so, so much left for you to learn about me,” Magnus purrs, his fingertips running deliciously over the back of Alexander’s hand. As the tingle emanates out from the soft contact, Alec feels himself once more losing focus, forgetting about the cameras and again becoming captivated by the man in front of him. 

“As I’m sure there is for me to learn about you,” Magnus tells him emotionally. “Will you give us the time to learn?” 

Alec watches as Magnus reaches behind him and pulls out a single rose, offering it to him. Looking up from the rose, he sees Magnus’s eyes locked on his, watching him warmly, heat and passion laying dormant, but so close to the surface.

“I will,” Alec tells him, not holding back any of the passion or affection from his voice.

Two days later, and it’s the morning of the cocktail party and rose ceremony. He’s in a good mood, relaxed going into the night, knowing he’s safe, secure in the knowledge that he and Magnus are on the same page and committed to seeing if this feeling between them is capable of evolving into something real. Something permanent.

Wanting to share his happiness, he’s trying to track down two of his fellow dates for a surprise. It had taken all his wheedling skills and personal connections to secure permission for this from Lily, and having gotten it, he’s eager to see it through.

“There you are! Jenni! Semi!” He calls out, having finally found the two he seemed. “Hey! I’m a poet, and I didn’t know it!”

Grinning happily, he quickly takes the two of them by the hands, and pulling them from the chairs they were sitting on, began dragging them out of the room.

“But not a great one,” Jenni shares happily, sharing an amused and confused look with Semi.

“Hey, Alec! Not that I’m not loving the new happy, non-grumpy version of Alec that we’ve been living with the last two days,” Semi tells him calmly. “But where the hell are we going?”

“I’ve got a surprise for the two of you,” he explains simply, throwing them a bright grin over his shoulder.

“For us?” Semi asks.

“Excellent! I love surprises!” Jenni says happily, skipping along beside Alec and squeezing his hand in excitement.

“Excellent!” Alec agrees. 

Eventually, the three of them reach the small library in the resort, and still grinning, Alec pulls them into the room, where Clary is waiting for them.

Confused, Jenni and Semi turned to look at Alec. This room was well known to the residents of the house for the scheduled video confessions as well, of course, being used to make monitored phone calls home.

“What are we doing here?’ Semi asked.

“Are we doing like a shared video confession or something?” Jenni says, and for a quick second, Alec tries to figure out if she’s proud or disappointed in him at the idea. Internally shrugging, he decides it doesn’t matter, and instead looks to reveal his surprise.

“No. No video confessions. Those things scare me,” he confesses. “No, you are both here to join me on my phone call home.”

Turning the laptop sitting on the desk around, from where it was facing Clary, Alec quickly stepped aside to reveal the video screen currently opened on it.

“Semi, Jenni, say hello to my little sister, Isabelle Lightwood, owner and founder of Trueblood Jewels.”

“Oh my God!” Jenni screams, rushing forward and grasping the edges of the screen as if she can physically pull Izzy closer to her.

Semi meanwhile, is staring open-mouthed at the screen, looking scared to blink in case Izzy disappears if he dares to look away.

“Semi?” Alec questions gently prodding the man.

“I love you,” He murmurs, slowly stumbling forward to the laptop where Jenni is still grasping the screen and staring at it avidly, compliments tumbling from her mouth in a chaotic mess.

Alec begins laughing softly as he stands quietly behind them, pleased with the success of his surprise and how well it is going over. Izzy is graciously trying to answer all the questions and compliments coming at her, giving the two of them bright smiles, and sending the occasional amused look at Alec standing over their shoulder.

For the next thirty minutes, Semi and Jenni completely dominate Alec’s scheduled phone call home, thrilling in their conversation with one of their favourite designers. And Alec couldn’t be happier about it. He manages to get a few lines in with Izzy and exchange the odd information, but ultimately he enjoys sitting back and watching his sister be admired like this by two people he greatly respects and admires himself.

At the end of the video chat, Izzy promises to take the two of them on a tour of her shop and workplace, once everyone is released from the show. Happily thanking her for her generous offer, Jenni and Semi step back to let Alec say goodbye to his sister.

“Thanks for this, Izzy,” he tells her happily. “You have no idea how much this meant to them. I’ve just become their favourite person in the house.”

“Don’t worry about it, Alec. This was great fun! They seem so nice!” Izzy tells him puzzled.

“They are nice,” he agrees.

“I know. I mean, I figured that out. But aren’t you all in competition or something, fighting over the same guy? Are you all really supposed to be getting along like this?”

“Actually, we all get along well for the most part. There really hasn’t been that much fighting or cattiness.”

Clary’s just sitting forward to tell them they are straying into out-of-bounds with their talk when Izzy answers.

“Well, you wouldn’t know that by the tv. You all seem to constantly stab each other in —“

“Ok, too far!” Clary hastily interrupts. “Sorry, you really cannot talk about the show. Either of you!” She tells them firmly.

Frowning at Clary, he turns back to Izzy, desperate to get more information from Izzy about this supposed back-stabbing. Knowing he’s not going to get any answers, especially with Clary there to keep them in check, he simply blows Izzy a kiss and says goodbye.

“I better go, Izzy, before Clary gets fired. Give everyone my love, ok? I’ll talk to you next week.” 

Looking frustrated at being denied gossip, Izzy returns his goodbye, including Clary in her goodbye.

“Bye Izzy, tell Jace I’ll call him tonight if you see him. I’ll see you in a few days.”

As soon as they hang up, Alec turns to Clary.

“Back-stabbing?” He enquires. “Is there something I should know about?”

“It’s just the way they cut and edit the show, for drama and ratings, Alec. Don’t freak out. Especially after that last date,” she tells him teasingly.

Biting his lip, Alec can’t keep the smile off his face.

“It was pretty good, wasn’t it?”

Later that night, he still has that same wide smile on his face, as Magnus hands out his roses. One by one, the fellow dates join him on the staying platform, and eventually only Silvana is left rose-less. As she turns to say goodbye to those around her, Alec keeps his eyes locked on Magnus, helpless to keep the goofy grin off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, constructive criticism is welcome, but please be nice. Comments and kudos fuel my passion to keep writing so drop one below if you are so inclined and haven’t already.
> 
> BTW, Climax Falls are a real place and one of the waterfalls to see at High Falls Gorge. I had way too much fun playing with this name but was unable to post the reactions of Magnus’s to the name that I really liked without maybe needing to change the rating of this story 😉. I didn’t know the names of the falls when choosing this place as a date but the revelation caused me great amusement and I hope it does to you too. I posted the cleanest (by far) version of Magnus’s reaction for the story but feel free to alter this and play with the innuendo in your own minds to the level you feel comfortable with. 😁
> 
> Date List:  
> Camille  
> Lucas  
> Harley  
> Silvana  
> Brianna  
> John  
> Semi  
> Charnze  
> Jenni  
> Alec  
> Josh  
> Becca  
> Janet  
> Felicity  
> Kim  
> Jarrod


End file.
